174
Bonfi ls’ varied production raises many issues. The
numbers attributed to one specifi c view changed from
one catalogue to another. It is therefore often impos-
sible to give a precise date for Bonfi ls photographs.
Moreover, the same site was sometimes photographed
several times, using the same reference number, render-
ing diffi cult any attempt at classifi cation. As with many
studios of the time, the issues of authorship are very
diffi cult to solve, too. While it is generally admitted
that Félix produced the majority of the fi rst campaigns,
it is also thought that Lydie herself took several pho-
tographs, especially for the costumes series featuring
women—Oriental women being more inclined to pose
if the operator were a woman herself. Other photogra-
phers worked there, according to the short presentation
of the c1885 catalogue: “Our employees are constantly
traveling in order to renew our negatives in accordance
with every latest development in photographic art.”
Adrien was one of them. Together with his mother, he
ran and developed the business after his father died.
In 1909, they formed a partnership with Abraham
Guiragossian, who eventually bought their archives
after Lydie died in 1918. Adrien eventually became a
hotel manager.
Bonfi ls’ story epitomizes the venture of many inter-
national studios fl ourishing from the 1860s to the end
of the century. Most of them were devoted to views,
reproductions of works of art and architecture, and types.
They developed in popular sites such as Italy (Sommer,
Alinari, or Naya) and the Near East (Sebah, or Zangaki).
Often considered as mere commercial photographers by
many historians in the fi eld, their production is worthy
of interest not only for history of photography, but for
art history—artists such as Lawrence Alma-Tadema or
Mariano Fortuny collected such photographs, including
Bonfi ls’—and cultural history. Moreover—and this is
certainly the case for Bonfi ls—a signifi cant part of their
work appears as more original than the mass-produced
clichés aimed at tourist crowds.
Pierre-Lin ReniéBONFILS, FÉLIX-ADRIEN, MARIE-LYDIE CABANIS, AND ADRIEN
Bonfi ls, Felix. Colonnes de la salle
hypostyle, vue de nord. Karnak,
Thebes.
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
© The J. Paul Getty Museum.