Vietnam's Poulo-Condore Prison Camp

Vietnam
Poulo Condor Penal Colony (Côn Đảo), 1880 – Ernest-Albert Brière (1848–1904) – Set of 4 rare vintage photographs of Indochina
Description
A rare set of four vintage prints depicting the Poulo Condor penal colony, a prison established by France in 1862 on the Côn Đảo archipelago, off the coast of Cochinchina. The prints are attributed to Ernest-Albert Brière (1848–1904), a high-ranking official in the colonial administration of Indochina, who was awarded a gold medal in Saigon following a photography exhibition. The pencil inscriptions on the prints read “Poulo Condor Penal Colony.”
The scenes:
The penal colony dormitory: inmates on the large wooden platform beneath the roof trusses, under the watchful eye of an armed guard.
Roll call of the convicts: inmates lined up in the courtyard in front of a large thatched-roof building, flanked by guards in dark uniforms.
Landscape of the facility: a small masonry arch bridge, a coconut grove, an oven or truncated conical stone structure, and mountainous terrain.
The Bay: view of the cove and wooded hills, a solitary figure on the shore.
Firsthand visual testimony of the penal system in French Cochinchina. Photographic views of the penal colony dating from around 1880 are extremely rare on the market. This subject will appeal to collectors of vintage photography, colonial history, and Vietnamese history, as well as institutions.
Date: 1880
Vintage albumen prints in sepia tones
Dimensions: 16.5 x 21.5 cm
Inscriptions: handwritten note in pencil reading “Bagne de Poulo Condor,” visible in the close-up views
Condition: creases and warping along the edges; foxing and yellowing of the paper.
Set of 4 photographs, sold as a set.

Ref: CNCE3QY26G