Amsterdam, The photographer, ca. 1900-1940. A collection of 29 silver print photographs (size between ca. 16.5 x 22.0 cm [nine photos] others 7.5 x 11.5 cm, or larger). Preserved in a modern, black cloth clamshell box (27.6 x 22.5 x 3.0 cm).

A superb collection of 29 silver print photographs by the Amsterdam nature photographer Richard August Joseph Maria "Richard" Tepe (1864 -1952). Another collection of his works is in the famous Amsterdam Rijksmuseum. Subjects include plants (fruit, flowers), greenhouses, animals including chickens and dogs, also included an photographic advertisement orthochrome of a woman in a headkerchief. Some mounted to card, some with pencilled inscriptions on versos, many signed on versos, subjects often identified. The self-taught Tepe was interested not only in photography but also in nature and the nature conservation that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century and sought ways to popularize nature and its conservation. After taking up photography around 1900, he quickly turned his attention to nature photography. He was one of the first in the Netherlands to explore this genre and, along with Paul Louis Steenhuizen, can be considered a pioneer in the field of bird photography. The photographs he took on the Naardermeer lake between 1902 and 1905 served as illustrations for an article by Jac. P. Thijsse in the leading Dutch nature protection magazine De Levende Natuur, when the survival of this nature reserve was threatened. Later, Tepe also focused on plants, landscapes, trees, flowers, and farms. Tepe was familiar with the work of English bird photographers such as Cherry and Richard Kearton. His photographs appeared in numerous nature books and magazines, including in collaboration with Jac. P. Thijsse and Rinke Tolman. He also showed his work at exhibitions. Tepe's photographs appeared in publications including Het Vogeljaar (The Bird Year) (Thijsse, 1903); Het Intimate Leven der Vogels (The Intimate Life of Birds) (Thijsse, 1906); Omgaan met Planten (The Handling of Plants) (Thijsse, 1909); and Onder Hollands Hemelen (Under Dutch Heavens) (Tolman, 1923). He also published his own photographs and short articles in various magazines, and his photographs were used on bird calendars and postcards. following his death in 1952, Tepe as an artist “sank into oblivion” (Kuhlmann), but his work continued to be revered and reproduced. He left behind approximately 8600 glass negatives, the whereabouts of which were unknown “even a short time after his death” (Kuhlmann). Tepe always remained faithful to his large 13x18 camera with glass negatives, even when the 35mm camera was already emerging. The quality of his photographs remains undisputed. One print of a bundle of blackberry branches framed; one print of a bird in a tree with manipulation marks and markings on verso, otherwise all in fine condition. Apart from the Rijksmuseum, original photos by Tepe are in the collections of the Dutch Photomuseum, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the New York Public Library, the Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, in Seattle, etc. Several photos with handwritten annotations in pencil on versos. Kuhlmann, C. (Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, 2007). Richard Tepe: Photography of Nature in the Netherlands 1900-1940.