Egypt, Turkey & Italy: A Late-Nineteenth-Century Photographic Album
AN EXTENSIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD OF THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN AND ITALY.
An original late-nineteenth-century photographic album bringing together 101 mounted photographs documenting Egypt, Turkey, and Italy, with an additional damaged photograph. The collection includes architectural and archaeological views, urban and harbor scenes, landscapes, monuments, and portraits in traditional dress. Among the identified photographers are Hippolyte Arnoux and the celebrated Constantinople photographic studio of Abdullah Frères.
A VISUAL RECORD OF THE MEDITERRANEAN AT THE CLOSE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
This album offers a broad visual record of the eastern Mediterranean and Italy during the final decades of the nineteenth century, a period when commercial photography was making the region's architecture, monuments, landscapes, and inhabitants increasingly accessible to European and American audiences.
FROM CONSTANTINOPLE TO THE NILE AND THE ITALIAN PENINSULA.
Its geographical range is particularly appealing. The photographs document the Ottoman world, including Constantinople and its monumental religious architecture, alongside Egyptian subjects associated with the Nile and Suez region, and Italian architectural and archaeological landmarks, including Verona and its celebrated Roman Arena.
THE WORK OF TWO IMPORTANT PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIOS.
The presence of photographs by Abdullah Frères is a significant feature. The Armenian brothers Kevork, Vichen, and Hovsep established one of Constantinople's most important photographic studios. Appointed photographers to the Ottoman court in 1862, they produced portraits and documentary views of the empire and its architectural and cultural landmarks. Their work forms an important part of the history of early photography in the region.
The album is not simply a collection of architectural souvenirs. Its combination of monumental views, street scenes, maritime subjects, archaeological remains, and costume portraits provides a varied photographic record of places and cultures encountered by travelers at the end of the nineteenth century.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Oblong photographic album, approximately 15 × 11.5 inches (measurements to be confirmed), bound in contemporary leather-backed boards, with gilt-lettered cover title.
+++ The album contains 101 mounted photographs, including eight smaller-format photographs measuring approximately 4 × 5.5 inches. These smaller images appear to be a related group of Greek costume portraits. One additional photograph, bringing the total number present to 102, has substantial damage.
+++ The larger photographs are of a generally uniform format. The photographs are mounted directly onto the album leaves, with many carrying identifying captions and photographer or studio credits within the image.
+++ The photographic processes have been identified in the earlier auction description as albumen prints; this should be confirmed against the originals.
PHOTOGRAPHIC CONTENT INCLUDES:
+++ Constantinople: Hagia Sophia, monumental interiors, architectural details, harbor and waterfront views, and urban subjects.
+++ Egypt: architectural and archaeological subjects, landscapes, harbor views, and material associated with the Suez region.
+++ Italy: architectural and urban views, including Verona and the Roman Arena.
+++ Costume portraits: eight smaller-format photographs, apparently depicting Greek traditional dress.
+++ Additional subjects: maritime activity, street scenes, monuments, and regional landscapes.
CONDITION: The album exhibits age-related wear and toning consistent with its period and use. The mounted leaves show scattered spotting and foxing.
+++ The photographs vary in condition, with some fading, toning, and surface wear. The additional photograph is substantially damaged, with loss at the lower-left corner extending into the photographic image.
+++ The album's binding, joints, spine, hinges, and attachment of the photographic mounts should receive a final physical condition assessment before publication.
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:
PHOTOGRAPHY, TRAVEL, AND THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN AT THE CLOSE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
The late nineteenth century was a particularly important period in the development of commercial photography in the Middle East and Mediterranean. Photographic studios in Constantinople, Cairo, and other regional centers produced extensive portfolios of architectural views, archaeological subjects, portraits, and scenes of everyday life for an expanding international market.
ABDULLAH FRÈRES — PHOTOGRAPHERS TO THE OTTOMAN COURT.
Abdullah Frères were among the leading practitioners of this photographic tradition. Their appointment as official photographers to the Ottoman court in 1862 and their extensive documentation of Constantinople and the Ottoman Empire give their surviving photographs particular historical and documentary importance.
HIPPOLYTE ARNOUX AND THE PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD OF THE SUEZ CANAL.
Hippolyte Arnoux is another notable name associated with the album. Active in Egypt, Arnoux is especially associated with photographic documentation of the Suez Canal, its construction, shipping, and surrounding landscape. His work provides an important connection between nineteenth-century commercial photography and the transformation of Egypt into a major international transportation corridor.
A COMPOSITE VISUAL RECORD OF THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD.
The album's broader importance lies in the way it brings together different photographic subjects and geographical settings. Its architectural views, archaeological remains, maritime scenes, and costume portraits offer a period visual record of the Mediterranean world at a moment of considerable political, cultural, and technological change.
GENRES: Photography, Travel Photography, Historical Photography, Documentary Photography, Photographic Albums, Ottoman History, Mediterranean Travel, Ethnographic Photography
SUBJECTS: Egypt, Turkey, Italy, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire, Abdullah Frères, Hippolyte Arnoux, Hagia Sophia, Suez Canal, Greek Costume, Traditional Dress, Archaeology, Architecture, Roman Antiquities, Verona, Travel, Maritime History, Nineteenth-Century Photography
Item #22633
Price: $1,400.00
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