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Bonfils, Paul Felix, 1831 - 1885 (photographer)

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1831 - 1885

Biography

Felix Bonfils was born on 8th March 1831. He was a book-binder from Cevennes. He first visited Lebanon with the French Expeditionary Force of 1860. He founded a photographic studio in Beirut in 1867. The studio at Ales opened in circa 1881. The Beirut studio was destroyed by fire in 1905 and new premises were established at Rue Georges Picot. The firm was mentioned in 'Guide Bleu' in 1932. The firm made perhaps the most extensive photographic documentation of Egypt and the Middle East in late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Bonfils' name, negatives and business had been taken over by A. Guiragossian by the end of the First World War. Bonfils died on the 31 August 1885.

Bonfils' wife, Lydie Cabanis Bonfils (21st March 1837-1918), was also active in the field of photography as was his son, Paul-Felix-Adrien Bonfils (8th August 1861- 29 January 1929).

Publications:

Bonfils, P.F. (1872) 'Architecture antique: Egypte, Grece, Asie Mineure'. Paris.

Bonfils, P.F. (1877-78) 'Souvenirs d'Orient', 5 vols.

Bonfils, P.F. (1878), 'Albums photographiques des monuments et des sites les plus celebres de l'Orient'. Paris.

Bonfils, P.F. (c. 1880) 'Souvenir de Jerusalem'. Leipzig.

Bonfils, P.F. (1894) 'Nazareth et ses environs'. St Petersburg.

Bonfils, P.F. (1876) 'Catalogue de vues photographiques de l'Orient'. Alais.

Sources: 'The photographers Bonfils of Beirut and Ales', 'Camera', [?]March 1981.

Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:

 Item

Caire, Pyramides de Giseh, 1870 - 1889

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3042B/2
Scope and Contents

284 x 219 mm. General view of the Pyramids of Giza with a river in the foreground.

Dates: 1870 - 1889
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Le Caire Pyramide de Cheops, Le Sphynx et le Temple de Chaffra (L’Egypte), 1870 - 1889

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3042B/3
Scope and Contents

278 x 215 mm. General view looking towards the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid, with the ruins of the Temple of Chaffra in the foreground.

Dates: 1870 - 1889
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Rue du Caire, Quartier Toulon, 1870 - 1889

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3042B/1
Scope and Contents

217 x 284 mm. View looking along a street in Cairo showing intricately carved wooden balcony windows.

Dates: 1870 - 1889
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).

Additional filters:

Subject
Cairo, Egypt (inhabited place) 2
Giza (inhabited place) 1