He also provided photography for the annual reports of railroad, mining and oil companies. In 1923, he published “Mexico Pintoresco,” a masterpiece book of 197 sepia-toned images with captions in Spanish, German and English. Other books of his work followed.
Auction offerings for vintage gelatin silver prints, signed and titled by Brehme, have fetched between $300 and $750. The Brehme collector can choose among many eras from his long career and find much of his beautiful work at affordable prices. A 1910 photo, “Popocatepeti Mexico,” signed and titled by Brehme, sold at William Doyle (New York) in May 2008 for $450. A 1943 hand-colored gelatin print, also signed and titled, “El Paricutin Mexico,” sold in Germany in June 2011 for $500.
For the casual collector, eBay is the go-to place for a selection of affordable photogravure prints originally from Brehme’s studio. On any given day, a Brehme can be had for less than $100.
A variety of the travel guides, manuals and handbooks, many first editions, should be added to the flea market patron’s lists of great “finds,” as they can show up almost anywhere. Online stores, such as Amazon, feature many of the travel books as well, with prices starting at around $20 for a 1922 edition of “The Revised Guide and Handbook for Travellers to Mexico City.” Brehme’s seminal book, “Mexico Pintoresco,” is available on several online sites for $250 to $1,000, depending on condition.
Interest in Brehme continued with the publication late last year by the University of Texas Press of “Timeless Mexico,” authored by scholar and collector Susan Toomey Frost.
Showcasing Brehme’s work as a remarkable survey of a country’s coming of age amidst the splendor and the beauty, the turmoil and the violence, Brehme focused his lens with an artist’s vision. Noteworthy also is a 2009 book by Frost on Latin American tile making, “Colors on Clay: The San Jose Tile Workshops of San Antonio,” which credits Brehme’s photographs as instrumental in identifying the origins of specific tile designs.
Brehme hasn’t yet been ranked with the most important artists of the 20th century, but his worldwide reputation is rising.
In 2002, the Brehme Collection at Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History was recognized by UNESCO’s Memory of the World Program for its importance in documenting the image of a nation.
Mary P. Manion is acting director of Landmarks Gallery and Restoration Studio in Milwaukee, and director of its framing department. For more information, visit www.LandmarksGallery.com, or call 800-352-8892.
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