Hammerschmidt, Wilhelm (Ca. 1830 - D. 1869); DéSiré, Ermé (Fl. Ca. 1864-1885); David Robertson & Co.; BéChard, ÉMile (Fl. 1860S-1880S); SchöNfeld, Wilhelm (1810-1887). Album Of Sixty Early Original Carte-De-Visite Albumen Photographs Of Egypt And Its People, Showing The Mausoleum Of Sultan Qaytbay In Cairo, Portraits Of Arab Merchants, Street Sellers, Officials, Bedouins, Nubians, A Marabout (Muslim Religious Teacher), A Dervish, A Janissary, A Barber And His Client, A Cotton Spinner, A Dancer, "Almas, A Distinguished Arab Singer," A Shoe Cleaner, A Carpenter, Women In Traditional Dress, Praying Men & Others. Ca. 1860S-1870S. Hammerschmidt, Wilhelm (Ca. 1830 - D. 1869); DÉSirÉ, Ermé (Fl. Ca. 1864-1885); David Robertson & Co.; BÉChard, ÉMile (Fl. 1860S-1880S); SchÖNfeld, Wilhelm (1810-1887) Africa,Egypt,Photography

Oblong Octavo (ca. 15,5x22,5 cm or 6x9 in). 15 card stock album leaves. 60 albumen photos, all ca. 5,5x9 cm (2 ¼ x 3 ½ in). The photos are mounted on slightly bigger original cards and then inserted in window mats recto and verso. Eighteen photos are hand-coloured. Nine photos with printed credentials of "W. Hammerschmidt, Phot." on versos; five photos with printed credentials of "E. Désiré & Cie." on rectos and versos; at least three photos with printed credentials of "Schonfeld & Co." on rectos and versos; two photos with printed credentials of "E. Bechard" on rectos and versos; one photo with a printed label "David Robertson & Co., Alexandria " on verso. About twenty images with printed or manuscript captions on versos. Several photos are not examined outside the mats. Attractive original brown full morocco album with blind-stamped ornaments on both boards and the spine; decorative brass clasps; all edges gilt; moire endpapers. Each leaf with a small gilt-stamped copyright "F.R.G. Patent" or "R.G. Patent." Several window mats with minor tears (mostly neatly repaired), a few photos very mildly faded, otherwise a very good album or rare early photos. Attractive album of sixty rare early carte-de-visite photographs of Egypt, taken by noted studios of Wilhelm Hammerschmidt, Ermé Désiré, David Robertson, Emile Béchard and Wilhelm Schönfeld (active in Saint Petersburg, Russia in ca. 1840s-1870s). Invented in the middle 1850s, photograph portraits and views in the format of "carte-de-visite" (ca. 85x55 mm) gained popularity in the 1860s and became objects of collecting, especially photos of celebrities and famous sites worldwide. All but one photos in this album are portraits of Egyptians and scenes from their life, showing a Marabout (Muslim religious teacher), Bedouins, Nubians, government officials, a Janissary, a barber and his client, a cotton spinner, a dancer, "Almas, a distinguished Arab singer," a Dervish, a shoe cleaner, sellers of coffee, plants, vegetables and bread, women in traditional dress, a carpenter, a poor family, praying men, and others. There is also a portrait of two "Donne d'Bethlehem." One image shows the mausoleum of Sultan Qaytbay in Cairo ("Mosquée Kaid-Bey") ? an outstanding example of the Egyptian Mamluk architecture pictured on the Egyptian one-pound note. Overall a beautiful album with well-preserved early carte-de-visite photograph portraits of Egyptian people. A list of available captions: 36. Marabout [printed stamp of W. Hammerschmidt]; 56. Barbier [printed stamp of W. Hammerschmidt]; Bedouin [pencil manuscript caption]; Bedouins [pencil manuscript caption]; [An Arab official wearing a fez; printed stamps of "Désiré & Cie" on recto and verso]; Arab coffee seller [pencil manuscript caption]; Jenisseri [pencil manuscript caption, printed stamps of "Désiré & Cie" on recto and verso]; 57. Arabe travaillant du coton [printed stamp of W. Hammerschmidt]; [A Nubian; printed stamp "Schönfeld & Co/????????? ? ?" on recto]; [Another portrait of a Nubian; printed stamp "Schönfeld & Co/?????????" on recto]; [Portrait of a Egyptian man wearing a fez; printed stamps "Schönfeld & Co/?????????" on recto and verso]; [An Arab elder with praying beads; printed stamps "Schier & Schoefft" on recto and verso]; Venditrice di [?], Cairo [pencil manuscript caption, printed stamps of "Désiré & Cie" on recto and verso]; Arab merchant [pencil manuscript caption]; Vendeur de plantes [pencil manuscript caption]; Donne d'Bethlehem [pencil manuscript caption]; 12. Danseuses [printed stamp of W. Hammerschmidt]; [A Egyptian official; printed stamps "E. Bechard" on recto and verso]; [A Egyptian sitting at a table; printed stamps "E. Bechard" on recto and verso]; Almas, la chanteuse arabe en renommée [pencil manuscript caption; printed stamps of "Désiré & Cie" on recto and verso]; 65. Nègre à chameau [printed stamp of W. Hammerschmidt]; [An Arab boy with a donkey; paper label of "David Robertson & C