FREDERIC GADMER (1878-1954)
Jebel Yemma Gouraya (672m - 2,204ft) in 1929
Algeria (Kabylia)
Autochrome Lumière - Albert Kahn Museum Paris
The mountain
Jebel Yemma Gouraya or Gouraya (between 660 m and 672 m - between 2,165ft and 2,204ft ) is a mountain dominating the Gouraya National Park (Arabic: الحديقة الوطنية قورايا) north of Algeria (Kabylie),a long the coast of the Mediterranean sea, in the Wilaya of Bejaïa. It is located 96 km from Jijel, 111 km from Setif, 127 km from Tizi Ouzou and 230km from Algiers, capital of Algeria.
The mountain previously called Amsiwen was renamed Yemma Gouraya probably by the Spanish during the 16th century. Yemma meaning "mother" in Kabyle langage. This mountain is supposed to be the burial place of the sacred patron of the city, Yemma Gouraya, even if no archaeological evidence proves it. According to tradition, Yemma Gouraya was Yemma Mezghitane's sister, saint patron of Jijel, and Yemma Timezrit, patron of Timezrit. Gouraya means "protector of the mountain" (gur = "mountain" and aya = protective).
The summit can be reach by a winding path of gentle slope, where fragments of quartz shine. From there, one dominates the country and the entire bay. The Ile des Pisans (Island of Pisans) at a distance of 24 km, appears nearby, net, facing the Punic port. The mountains plunge directly into the sea, adding to the majesty of the place. At the summit, a fortress was built by the Spanish probably in the 16th century, redesigned by the French in the 19th century on the site of the marabout Yemma Gouraya which was destroyed in 1833. Jebel Yemma Gouraya is part of a protected area, the Gouraya Park.
The Gouraya Park (2,000 ha) hosts approximately 1.2 million visitors per year, especially in summer. Its sandy beaches, cliffs and crystal clear waters participate to keep it attractive. The flora and fauna are varied there, among which Berber macaques and golden jackal which live in the forests of the park. The park has been classified Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2004. This park was created for its diversity in endemic vegetation, marine and continental environments as well as regional history.
At the park, is added a marine area of 7,842 ha and a lake area "Lake Mézaia" (3 ha). It presents 15 archaeological treasures including historical sites.
Biodiversity in Gouraya National Park consists of 1709 species of flora and fauna among which 533 for flora species and 1156 for fauna species. 67 species are protected including 20 invertebrates, 1 reptile, 10 mammals, 3 plants and 33 birds.
The artist
Frédéric Georges Gadmer was born in 1878 in France into a Protestant family; his father, Leon, son of Swiss émigré, was confectioner, and his mother, Marie Georgine, was unemployed. Before World War II, he follows his family in Paris and works as a photographer for the house Vitry, located Quai de la Rapée. As an heliogravure company, it performs work for the sciences and the arts, travel and education. In 1898 Gadmer completed his military service as a secretary to the staff then recalled in 1914 at the time of mobilization. In 1915, he joined the newly created "Photographic Section of the Army" and carried pictures on the front, in the Dardanelles, with General Gouraud, then in Cameroon. In 1919, at age 41, he was hired as a photographer byAlbert Khan for his project called "Archives of the Planet". He finds there his comrades of "the film and photographic section of the army" Paul Castelnau and Fernand Cuville. Soon as he arrived, he made reports in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Palestine. It was the first to make a color portrait of Mustafa Kemal, leader of the Young Turks. In 1921, he returned to the Levant with Jean Brunhes, the scientific director of the Archives of the Planet. The same year, he attended General Gouraud, appointed High Commissioner in Syria. Operator and prolific photographer, specializing in distant lands and landscapes, it covers Iraq, Persia, Afghanistan, Algeria and Tunisia. In 1930, he accompanied Father Francis Aupiais in Dahomey. He also works in Europe. In 1931, at the request of Marechal Lyautey, he photographies the Colonial Exhibition. It is one of the last person to leave the "Archives of the Planet" threatened by the Albert Kahn's bankruptcy in 1932. He then worked at the famous french newspaper L'Illustration and carries postcards for Yvon. He died in Paris, unmarried, in 1954 and is buried in Saint-Quentin, as his parents.
About the "Autochrome Lumière" Photos
The autochrome is a photographic reproduction of process colors patented December 17, 1903 by Auguste and Louis Lumière french brothers. This is the first industrial technique of photography colors, it produces positive images on glass plates. It was used between 1907 and 1932 approximately an particularly in many pictures of the World War I. A important number of photographs of mountains and landscapes around the world was made with this technique, particularly in the for the Project "The archives of the planet" by Albert Kahn.
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2019 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau