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Overview
The Pont de la Tournelle, in the 4th arrondisement of Paris, connects the Quai de la Tournelle on the left bank with the Île St.-Louis. But what would seem to be a simple, straightforward view actually represents a moment in Parisian history, for the bridge (or bridges) here is not the current one. The original stone bridge was constructed in 1658, damaged by floods in 1910 and finally closed in 1918. It can be seen here behind the wooden temporary bridge that holds the foot traffic. That wooden structure (and the wreckage of the old bridge) was replaced in 1928 - a few years after this etching - by the present concrete bridge, and histories have apparently forgotten that the wooden passerelle ever existed.
Antonio Carbonati (1893-1956) was a talented Italian etcher, born in Mantua, who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. worked in Paris from 1919 to 1925, arriving at precisely the right time to document this bit of history. His work is mostly topographical and is technically impeccable. In 1925 he won a gold medal at the famous International Exhbiition of Modern, Decorative and Industrial Arts, Paris. His prints are represented in leading world collections.
See:
C. & J. Goodfriend, 'The last time I saw Paris', http://www.drawingsandprints.com/CurrentExhibition/detail.cfm?ExhibitionID=60&Exhibition=40
Dr Mark Stocker Curator, Historical International Art August 2018