Beschreibung:

(Egypt - Photographs) Collection of 50 large-format albumen photographs of Egyptian monuments by the Zangaki Brothers and other commercial photographers Author: Zangaki Brothers, and others Place Published: Egypt Date Published: c.1880 Description: 50 albumen photographs. Images approx. 22.5x28 cm (8¾x11"), on slightly larger period card mounts. All but two of the photographs are signed and/or captioned in the negative, many with additional pencil captions in German. Housed in period two piece green pebbled cloth case, stamped "Aegypten I" in gilt on the top panel, with 4 brass-rimmed slots for ribbon ties near the corners of both top and bottom pieces. Exceptional collection of original photographs featuring monuments of ancient Egypt, including the Sphinx, Pyramids, Colossi of Memnon, tombs in Thebes, Memphis, Luxor, Karnak, Philae, etc. The market for original photographs of Egyptian scenes was spurred by the increased tourism to the Nile Valley and the land of the Pharaohs in the mid to late 19th century, and a small group of foreign photographers settled in Cairo and along the Nile to fill this need. The Zangaki Brothers (initials C. and G.) were among the earliest and most accomplished, and provide 32 photographs in the present group. The others represented include Hippolyte Arnoux (12 photos); Gabriel Lekegian (3 photos); and Felix Bonfils (1 photo). Two photographs are uncredited. The Greek Zangaki Brothers (or Adelphoi Zangaki), who produced the bulk of the photographis in this group, were among the first commercial photographers to produce large-scale images of Egypt. According to John Hannavy (Encyclopedia of Nineteenth Century Photography), the pair "produced some of the finest images of late Victorian Egypt" as they toured the length of the Nile in a special horse-drawn darkroom van. Their photographs are prized by collectors and valued by historians for their documentary value. Condition: A little wear and some retouching to cloth case; mounts slightly bowed; some images with fading or foxing, overall very good. Item#: 346033a Headline: 50 large-format albumen photos of Egypt