EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE BANCO DE ESPAÑA BUILDING (1891)

The book discusses the discovery of six previously unpublished photographs by prominent Madrid studio J. Laurent y Cía. in the Banco de España's historical archive. They formed part of an original series commissioned by La Ilustración Española y Americana to mark the opening of the bank's new head offices in 1891 and several others were published as engravings in the magazine.

To offer some background to the discovery, the book also discusses the impact of the opening of the new building at Plaza de Cibeles, designed by architect Eduardo de Adaro, and describes contemporary media coverage of the event. It explains how pictures were published in the illustrated press of the late nineteenth century and examines the importance of J. Laurent y Cía., the studio that took the photos. There is also a short history of La Ilustración Española y Americana, one of the most prominent magazines of the time.

The pictures are of historical and documentary interest, showing what the bank looked like when it was first built, and they enable us to see how the building has evolved to the present day. To complete the picture, there is also a twenty-first century photo essay by Luis Asín giving an idea of what this imposing building looks like today.

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