Hi Jesus,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

This photo shows the Statue of Liberty being assembled at the workshops of Gaget, Gauthier & Co. on the Rue de Chazelles, where Parisians could glimpse the colossal statue towering above nearby rooftops. This photo was taken before it was dismantled for shipment to the US.

There were several versions of this photo, ranked here in order of importance and monetary value:
- an original 1880s albumen photograph (quite valuable),
- an early photogravure from the late 19th or early 20th century,
- a modern gelatin silver print, or
- a recent decorative reproduction.

The paper label on the back is highly informative and critical in valuing this.
La Photo Factory, at 21 Rue du Renard in Paris, was a photo publisher and retailer that specialized in selling high-quality reproductions of historic French photographs to museums, tourists, collectors, and decorators, particularly during the late 20th century. It also shows the copyright notice (© Keystone – L'Illustration)

This means La Photo Factory licensed the image from the Keystone photographic archive and/or L'Illustration, the famous French illustrated newspaper founded in 1843. Rather than printing directly from an original glass negative or albumen print, your photograph was reproduced from one of these historical archives.

The 01.40.29.05.90 number on the bottom is a 10-digit numbering system, that was not adopted in Paris until 1996, making at least this label - and probably the photograph as well - a decorative reproduction from the late 1990s or early 2000s.

The photo print itself has a value of about $50; the matting and framing boost its value to between $150 and $200.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

A reproduction photo of the Statue of Liberty being assembled
France, taken circa 1883-1884, printed late 20th Century
labeled, verso
20 by 15 inches
CONDITION: matted and framed
PROVENANCE: acquired in an online auction
$ 150-200*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia