19th Century French Photography and Theater Étienne Carjat Autograph Letter Signed on Studio Letterhead, Paris, 1878

Etienne Carjat

Manuscripts & Autographs

Carjat, Étienne. Autograph letter signed, August 29, 1878, documents the working relationships between photography studios and theatrical institutions in late 19th-century Paris through the correspondence of a photographer known for portraiture of literary figures including Charles Baudelaire. Writing on his studio letterhead, Carjat records an exchange involving access to a theater booth, indicating reciprocal arrangements between photographic and performance spaces. The letter situates Carjat within the interconnected cultural economy of Paris, where photographers, writers, and theater professionals operated within overlapping professional and social networks during a period of expanding visual and literary production.

Carjat, Étienne. August 29, 1878. One page autograph letter signed on “Et. Carjat & Cie Photographes – 10 Rue Notre Dame de Lorette, 10, Paris” letterhead, approximately 8 x 5 inches. Addressed to “Zallim,” the letter reads: “My dear Zallim, Could you offer me a booth, similar to the last one, for tomorrow, Monday, before 4 o'clock, without an envelope. You know that in exchange of your charming theater, my modest studio is at you and your friends' disposal. Thanking you in advance, and yours with all my heart, Your old and affectionate…” signed “Et. Carjat.” The verso contains a list of names and their positions in the theater in a different hand, indicating operational or organizational use connected to theatrical performance.

Carjat’s career as a photographer intersected with major literary and artistic figures of the Second Empire and early Third Republic, and his studio functioned as a site of image production for writers, actors, and cultural elites. This letter provides direct evidence of the reciprocal relationships that structured artistic production in Paris, where access to performance venues and photographic studios facilitated collaboration and circulation among creative professionals. The presence of theater personnel listed on the verso further situates the document within the practical coordination of performance spaces, underscoring the material connections between visual culture and live entertainment in 19th-century France.

Light handling wear; paper clean with strong, legible signature; verso annotations clear. Overall very good.

Item #11969

Price: $550.00