Fermepin Hermanos

Alfonso Fermepin (1805-1871), a French photographer and painter, was active in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. He arrived in Buenos Aires in 1836 and began working as a portraitist in oil and miniature paintings at Calle de la Piedad 17 (now Bartolomé Mitre). In 1856, he opened a portrait gallery at Calle 25 de Mayo 211 in Montevideo. Returning to Buenos Aires, around 1865, he purchased the premises of his compatriot Federico Artigue at Calle Cangallo 157 (now Perón). During the Paraguayan War, he produced carte de visite format reproductions of allegorical paintings depicting the war episodes. In 1867, he traveled to France to study advancements in image reproduction techniques, which he later incorporated into his establishment. During his trip, he visited Federico Artigue in Bordeaux, from whom he had purchased his Buenos Aires studio, and received valuable information for the improvement of his own establishment. Following his death, his studio continued under the direction of his children.