Abel Briquet Photograph Collection

Originally from France, Abel Briquet (also known as Alfred Briquet) is believed to be one of the first modern commercial photographers in Mexico. The date that he first began working in Mexico is uncertain, but it is believed that he began his Mexican photography career in the 1870s or in 1883. Briquet received a commission in 1876 to photograph the Mexican National Railway between Veracruz and Mexico City, and was funded through an 1883 commission from the Campagnie Maritime Transatlantique to photograph Mexican ports. He opened his own photography studio in 1885. This collection contains some of his photographs of cityscape and landscape views, "typical" scenes from Mexico, and views of buildings, statues, and monuments.

Mexican landscape scenes were particularly popular during the nineteenth century, and foreign photographers were responsible for shooting most of these images. During the early part of his career, Briquet followed many of the photographic conventions of his time. For example, in his Tipos Mexicanos series, he photographed the tlachiquero, a laborer who used a long gourd to remove sap from the maguey plant. The sap was then used to make pulque, which was a popular alcoholic drink. Some of Briquet's images were sold as postcards at handicraft and souvenir shops in Mexico. This collection contains photographs from his Vistas Mexicanas, Tipos Mexicanos, and Alrededores de Mexico photographic series.

Works Referenced:

Little, Rachel. "Abel Briquet Photograph Collection." University of Texas Libraries. Last modified July 30, 2009. https://wayback.archive-it.org/11176/20181109001557/https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/benson/briquet/.