Egypt and Palestine, photographed and described by Francis Frith. London and New York: James S. Virtue, [1858-1859]. English. Two parts in one volume.
76 impressive photographs of Palestine and the area in the mid-19th century (the first part of the book comprises 37 photographs and the second 39 photographs, all are dated 1857).
The photographs are mounted on the leaves of the books; each photograph is followed by a tissue guard and a leaf with information on the photographed site. The photographs include: views and sites of Palestine – Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Nablus, Hebron, the Dead Sea, Tiberias, the Banias, and more, as well as views and sites of Egypt, Syria and Lebanon.
Francis Frith (1822-1898), British photographer and traveler, one of the most important early photographers of Palestine. In 1856 he set sail for Alexandria, and in the course of about four years undertook several photographic expeditions in the Near East. Due to the local conditions, Frith had to carry the equipment from site to site on donkeys, and develop the negatives right after he has taken the photographs, in tents which served as darkrooms. His photographs of Palestine are considered the first professional photographs of the country.
[4], [37] ff. + [37] plates with photographs; [39] ff. + [39] plates with photographs. 44 cm. good condition. Stains (primarily marginal). Marginal tears to a few leaves, not affecting text or photographs. Binding worn, with blemishes. Front board and endpapers detached. Spine partially detached. Abrasions to binding and spine edges.