Hugo Brehme, (3 December 1882,
Eisenach
Eisenach () is a Town#Germany, town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia, and bordering northeastern Hesse, Hessian re ...
, Germany; 13 June 1954, Mexico City) was a German-born photographer of Mexico. Working almost exclusively in black and white, he established a photographic studio in Mexico City “Fotografía Artística Hugo Brehme“ as early as 1912. It was a successful business for forty years. His subject matter photos of traditional rural Mexico, scenic landscapes, railways, modern monuments and archeological sites. His picturesque photos were placed in tourist guides and magazines and he produced a large number of photos for
postcard
A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare.
In some places, one can send a postcard f ...
s. He was an early mentor of noted Mexican photographer
Manuel Alvarez Bravo.
Collections of his photos are found at
Texas State University
Texas State University (TXST) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in San Marcos, Texas, United States, and another campus in Round Rock, Texas, Round Rock. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has ...
, San Marcos and
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...
, as well as the
Fototeca Nacional, the Mexican government repository for photographs. At the Fototeca, the Hugo Brehme Collection was begun with a donation by Juan Manuel Casasola Tezcucano, of the
Casasola family of photographers. Added to the Fototeca were other Brehme photos, totaling 1,846 negatives and 278 positives. "There are images presumed to be by this photographer in other collections"
f the Fototeca Brehme photographs documenting two episodes of the
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
in 1913 and 1914 are found at the
Getty Research Institute
The Getty Research Institute (GRI), located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts". .
Gallery
File:Zapatistas and Nacional de Mexico, No. 739 (5655532688) (cropped).jpg, Zapatistas in Cuernavaca, 1911
File:Emiliano Zapata, Brother Eufemio, with Wives (30138746320) (cropped).jpg, Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata Salazar (; 8 August 1879 – 10 April 1919) was a Mexican revolutionary. He was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920, the main leader of the people's revolution in the Mexican state of Morelos, and the insp ...
and his brother Eufemio and their respective wives
File:Child with Agave plant, 1916.jpg, Child with agave
''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the arid regions of the Americas. The genus is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large Rosette (botany), rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves.
Many plan ...
cactus. 1916.
File:Farmer and ox, Mexico (21845410525) (cropped).jpg, Campesino and oxen
File:Mexican Picnic (cropped).tif, Picnic
File:Columna de la Independencia (21606855359) (cropped).jpg, Column of Independence, n.d.
File:Ferrocarril Mexicano railroad bridge (21855004841) (cropped).jpg, Mexican railway bridge, n.d.[DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University]
References
Further reading
*Casanova, Rosa and Adriana Konzevik. ''Mexico: A Photographic History: A Selective Catalogue of the Fototeca Nacional of the INAH''. Mexico City: INAH/RM 2007.
*Debroise, Olivier. ''Mexican Suite: A History of Photography in Mexico''. Trans. Stella de Sá Rego. Austin: University of Texas Press 2001.
*Frost, Susan Toomey. ''Timeless Mexico: The Photographs of Hugo Brehme''. Austin: University of Texas Press 2011.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brehme, Hugo
1882 births
1954 deaths
Mexican photographers
Photographers from Thuringia
People from Eisenach
German emigrants to Mexico