Foto Witcomb

The studio was founded by English photographer Alexander Witcomb (1835-1905). He partnered with Roberto Mackern (1854-?) and together they decided to purchase the best and most prestigious photography studio in Buenos Aires, none other than the establishment of the renowned photographer José Christiano de Freitas Henriques Junior. The transaction was finalized on February 15, 1878, with the transfer of the studio's business assets located at Florida 208, between Cuyo (now Sarmiento) and Corrientes, including all its facilities, gallery cameras, and, perhaps most importantly, the considerable archive of negatives accumulated over a decade, which included the records of the two albums published in 1876 and 1877. The partnership of Witcomb & Mackern lasted until 1883. The next commercial step took a different direction. Alejandro S. Witcomb needed to elevate the artistic prestige of his brand, and the solution was to partner with the talented photographer José Virginio Freitas Henriques (1851-1928), better known as Freitas. In 1884, they formed the partnership of Witcomb & Freitas. This partnership ended in 1887. In the early 20th century, the company also diversified as an art gallery. After Witcomb's death, the firm was taken over by Alejandro Witcomb hijo (1879-1945) and Rosendo Martínez, who had started as an apprentice in 1887 and gradually rose to become the chief operator. In the 1920s and 1930s, Witcomb established itself as an organizer of exhibitions of French and Spanish art. In 1939, the galleries moved to Florida 760. The studio also had a branch in Mar del Plata, where it decided to open its doors in the 1915-1916 season at local 105 on the Bristol boardwalk. The prestige of the brand was a guarantee of success. Witcomb remained there until the early 1940s. The Witcomb studio was almost a century old as, under the direction of different owners, it remained open, always on Florida Street, until 1970.