Photographs auctioned in New York reveal what the Brazilian Amazon looked like in the 19th century

A collection of photos taken by the German Albert Frisch and sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York may be the oldest photographic record of the Brazilian Amazon.

The images were taken over 150 years ago during an expedition into the forest. Frisch’s photos capture both nature and the inhabitants of the Amazon, such as the members of the Ticuan, Miranha and Caixana indigenous tribes.

The collection comprises 98 photographs that were first published in 1869 by Georg Leuzinger’s publishing house.

Image copyright
Albert Frisch / Sothebys

Frisch began his career as a photographer in 1863 and moved to Rio de Janeiro the following year, where he began working for Leuzinger. It was Leuzinger who commissioned Frisch to take pictures in the remote Amazon.

Image copyright
Albert Frisch / Sothebys

Frisch began the expedition in 1867, travelling almost 1,600 km on foot or by boat for five months. He produced more than 120 negatives using the wet collodion photographic process. To do this, he had to make the journey with a portable photographic laboratory.

This process required the photographic plates to be prepared moments before being inserted into the camera, with the photos being taken while they were still damp.

Image copyright
Albert Frisch / Sothebys

Many of the photos are layered or are compositions of negatives. Frisch often photographed the people and landscapes in the background separately, creating a sculptural look for the final image.

Frisch’s career as a photographer lasted only a few years, but the images he produced are exhibited around the world.