Gonzalo de Quesada y Aróstegui [Mounted Photograph]

1900. Ephemera. Very good. A mounted half-length portrait photograph of Cuban independence leader Gonzalo de Quesada (1868-1915).

Quesada came to the US with his parents as a boy. He grew up in New York City, obtained a law degree from New York University, and became friends with José Martí. With Martí he advocated for Cuban independence and was a member of the constitutional convention. He served as Cuban ambassador to the US and then to Germany. He died in Berlin during the First World War.

Martí entrusted Quesada with his literary legacy, and Quesada edited the first volumes of Martí's collected works.

3-13/16 by 5-7/16 inches. A high-contrast silver gelatin print on photographic paper mounted to cardstock (mount trimmed near edges of the print). There were some imperfections in the negative emulsion causing spotting to Quesada's jacket and to his hair. Nothing affects his marvelous mustache. The image has the number 1927 on the front and back of the mount, which may be a date or an ID number. There is a light pencil line drawn across the upper margin of the image, probably to indicate a crop mark. The mount has ink stamps and handwritten notes on the back (verso).