Pre-Cuban Revolution Havana, Cuba Photo Archive, 1920s-40s

Havana Cuba

Photograph

[Cuba] Havana landmarks and urban development real photo post card archive, ca. 1920s-1940s. 11 color and sepia real photo postcards of iconic civic and cultural architecture in Havana, Cuba. Each measure 4" x 6". Many with captions identifying the locations in the negative or en verso with some printed in English and others in Spanish, signaling their intended audience of both locals and foreign tourists. A compelling photo archive documenting early 20th-century Havana’s architectural and political aspirations, this collection showcases prominent landmarks that symbolized Cuba’s nationalist identity, international cosmopolitanism, and American-influenced modernization in the decades between independence from Spain and the Cuban Revolution. The archive includes silver gelatin and printed color views of the National Theatre, Cuba's Capitol Building, Central Railway Station, Gran Casino Nacional, National University, and the grand gateway of Havana's Colón Cemetery. Other views depict Paseo de Martí, one of Havana’s most iconic boulevards, lined with vintage American cars and flanked by ornate colonial facades and new Art Deco-style hotels, evidence of the influx of U.S. capital and tourism during the Batista era. Havana in this period was rapidly transforming into a showcase city of the Caribbean, its urban core reflecting both Spanish colonial heritage and American urban planning models. The presence of monumental buildings like El Capitolio, constructed between 1926 and 1929 and modeled after the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., points to Cuba’s alignment with American political aesthetics and aspirations toward modern statehood. Similarly, the University and Gran Casino Nacional represent both the intellectual elite and leisure-class investment that typified pre-revolutionary Cuban society. The mixture of European and U.S. architectural influences, ranging from Beaux-Arts to Art Deco, speaks to the layered colonial legacy and new economic dependency forged during the Platt Amendment era. Some mild edge wear. One card with a small corner crease, others clean. Overall very good condition. This archive captures Havana in the midst of dramatic urban renewal and internationalization, before the massive ruptures brought on by the 1959 revolution.

Item #22475

Price: $385.00