Exceptional and probably unique photographic album of the Co - Lot 122

Exceptional and probably unique photographic album of the Condition publique des soies de Lyon, tracing the successive transformations from 1884 to 1910/1934. The set comprises fifty-six pages with forty-five (45) prints, including 43 silver prints, two impressions and one fly plate. Contrary to the title on the front cover, the transformations do not stop at 1910, but continue until 1934, with the addition of further photographs over time - proof of the importance of this work. This extraordinary document shows us the origins and history of this institution, and how it functioned in the early years of the 20th century, through perfectly captioned documentary images of rare quality. There are a number of shots showing the desiccators in operation, adorned with enamel plates like those presented in the previous batch. Each page is perfectly captioned: Monument pasteur, March 9, 1924; Main door of the Condition, 1809; Work executed on April 11, 1884; Regulations and decrees of the Condition; Conditioning apparatus and their successive modifications; Processes and apparatus used in Lyon for conditioning silk, their successive modifications from 1805 to 1900 ; Plan of the building constructed in 1809 and its last transformations in 1884; Building constructed by the Chamber of Commerce for silk conditioning, its successive transformations from 1809 to 1900; Plan of the building constructed in 1809 and its successive transformations up to 1910; Printed portraits of : Jean-Louis Rast-Maupas (1734-1821), founder of the 1st Lyon Silk Condition in 1779 and Léon Talabot (1792-1863), engineer and inventor of the Talabot method; portraits of : Antoine Revérony, director of the Condition publique des soies from 17 prairial an XIII to 17 juillet 1824, Ennemond Félissent, director of the Condition publique des soies from 5 octobre 1824 to 30 juin 1841, Médéric Gamot, director of the Condition publique des soies from 1er juillet 1841 to 1er décembre 1862, Adrien Perret, director of the Condition publique des soies from 1er janvier 1863 to 14 décembre 1883; recto and verso of a Condition medal, captioned M. Henri Chamonard, member of the Lyon Chamber of Commerce, Managing Director of La Condition 1907-1921, front and back of a La Condition medal, captioned M. François Ferier, membre de la chambre de commerce de Lyon, administrateur délégué de la Condition 1924-1930 ; Hall du 1er étage - 1889, Enregistrement des Marchandises ; Hall du 1er étage - 1889, Bureaux des Employés ; Hall du 1er étage - 1889, Bureaux des Employés ; Appareils électriques de Conditionnement - 1899 ; 1st floor hall - 1907, Goods registration; Test batch sampling room - 1907; New forced-ventilated conditioning equipment room - June 10, 1907; New forced-ventilated conditioning equipment room - June 10, 1907; Drawing workshop - 1907; Titration, Employees' office - 1907 ; Laboratoire d'Étude de la Soie, Salle Joseph Gillet 1925 - Exposition Coloniale 1931 ; Laboratoire d'Étude de la Soie, Musée sérique - 1906 ; Laboratoire d'Étude de la Soie, Salle Oberthür 1925 - Exposition Coloniale Paris 1931 ; Laboratoire d'Étude de la Soie, Musée sérique - 1906 ; Laboratoire d'Étude de la Soie, Bassine moderne de Filature - 1927, hand-dated lower right in margin 1931; Laboratoire d'Étude de la Soie, Bassine, filature industrielle - 1906; Laboratoire d'Étude de la Soie, Salle Duseigneur-Kléber - 1910; Ancien Laboratoire de Chimie en 1885 au rez-de-chaussée (Passage des Voitures), Painting by M. Benoit; Laboratoire de Chimie - 1895, Installed in 1886 on 2nd floor, annotated M. Benoit chimiste; Laboratoire de Chimie - 1905; Laboratoire de Chimie 1927, annex on 3rd floor, hand-annotated with photo date 1931; Laboratoire de Chimie - 1910; Décreusage, Bassine de décreusage - 1910; Staff meeting on February 3, 1934, on the occasion of M.. J. Testenoire from February 1, 1884 to February 1, 1934 (2 proofs) and a recto-verso flyback plate showing on the front the captioned portraits of the six controllers of the Condition publique des Soies, and on the back the managing directors of the Condition, dated Thursday, February 23, 1922. Prints in various formats, mostly large. H. 28 cm - W. 23 cm approx. Album: H. 32 cm - W. 47 cm Bound in red and black percaline, traced corners, gilt title plate, calico endpapers printed with gilt and silver floral motifs. The album is mounted on cloth tabs. Spine consolidated, wear on first cover.