Autochrome of the Giessbach Bahn (1907)

Autochrome of the Giessbach Bahn (1907)
Autochrome of the Giessbach Bahn (1907) (Photo Henri Chouanard d’après document Gallica-Bnf) (Click to enlarge / Cliquer pour agrandir)

Autochrome of the Giessbach Bahn (1907)

Beautiful Autochrome of the Giessbach Bahn funicular bridge near Lake Brienz in the canton of Berne (Switzerland).
The photo was taken in 1907 by the French photographer Henri Chouanard, one of the first users of the autochrome photographic process, patented by the Lumière brothers.

Magnifique autochrome du pont du funiculaire Giessbach Bahn au bord du lac de Brienz dans le canton de Berne (Suisse).
La photo a été prise par le photographe amateur français Henri Chouanard, un des premiers utilisateurs du procédé autochrome des Frères Lumière.

4 thoughts on “Autochrome of the Giessbach Bahn (1907)”

  1. I suspect that the image is reversed – with the mountains visible on the other side of the Brienzersee, the track should be descending from right to left. The presence of the Giessbach river itself in the foreground would appear to confirm this. A view of the viaduct descending from left to right as in this picture should have the river (possibly the falls) and steep wooded hillside as a background.

  2. Dear Rob… Thank you for your comment.
    I am pretty sure you are right and the photo is reversed and I can demonstrate it with the sun.
    The Giessbach bridge is oriented West-East, so only the South face of the bridge can be lighted by the sun. The North face of the bridge is never be lighted.
    The highest end of the bridge is the end on the East and so the lower end of the bridge is on the West end.
    On the Funimag photo, the highest point of the bridge is on the left and the lower point on the right.
    So normally on the photo the left side is the East and the right side the West. It would mean that the side of the pillar which is lighted by the sun would be the North face…. but the North face of the bridge cannot be lighted like that.
    So it means that the lighted face of the pillar must be the South face instead of the North face.
    If it is the South face, with East on the left… it is impossible.
    It means that the photo is reversed.
    Am I correct ? 🙂

  3. That is an even more convincing way of explaining it!

    I was at Giessbach earlier in the week, so the geographical situation was more fresh in my mind. And it was cloudy, so…. 🙂

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