Oblong Quarto (ca. 24 x 20 cm or 9 ½ x 7 ¾ in). 12 grey cardstock leaves. 94 gelatin silver photographs ca. 8.5 x 6 cm (3 ¼ x 2 ¼ in) mounted in windows; one gelatin silver photograph ca. 15 x 9 cm (5 ¾ x 3 ½ in) loosely inserted. 92 images with period French ink captions on paper labels attached to mounts; one image with period French pencil caption on verso. Period brown cloth album; paper label reading “Galeries de France, Alger” on upper left corner of inner front cover. Mild rubbing on edges of album covers and spine; mounts slightly waved; one image with small hole, two images previously removed from album,a few photos mildly faded or with silver mirroring, but overall a very good album with interesting photos.

A collection of original gelatin silver photographs showing French military activity in central and southern Algeria (In Salah, Tamanrasset, etc.) during the early 1920s. The album was likely compiled by a French officer stationed there around 1923. In Salah (Ain Salah) was an important link in early trans-Saharan caravan routes, but is now in decline, currently dealing with a creeping sand dune. Tamanrasset was established as an outpost by the French military in the early 20th century, and its environs were later used to conduct nuclear tests in the 1960s.

Over 15 photographs show military installments and activity. They include portraits from a guard change at In Salah, men working a radio and in a machine room, the officer’s mess hall in In Salah, a radio post and infirmary in Tamanrasset, the arrival of the “Captain of UA,” the “Captain’s house,” and radio antennas. 10 photographs show leisure activities, including the opening of a pool in El Barka (part of the commune of In Salah) and a group of French men drinking tea and smoking kief.

Over 20 photographs show In Salah or other locales. They include general views of In Salah, the In Salah post office, French and Arab cemeteries of In Salah, and a local palm grove. There are also photographs of memorial monuments near the Hoggar Mountains, a “French school,” and views of El Barka.

Over 20 photographs show indigenous Algerians. Four are portraits, with captions reading “Arab guy,” “Arab woman,” “Tuareg guy,” “Tuareg woman.” The rest are snapshots and include the “Orphéons” of El Barka and In Salah, a Fantasia performance, a Tuareg caravan, and a “native revue.”

Four photographs show the Dixmude, a French military airship, over In Salah. The airship was originally built for the Imperial German Navy, but the unfinished ship was given to France as war reparations after WWI. First launched in 1920, the Dixmude remained in storage between 1921 and 1923. The Dixmude exploded off the coast of Sicily on 21 December 1923, four months after it was reinflated, and just a few days after it stopped over In Salah.

Five photos show the Citroën mission (1922-1923) in In Salah. The Citroën mission was part of the French colonial effort to connect North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco) with French West Africa by establishing automobile routes through the Sahara Desert. Citroën, a French automobile manufacturer, developed a vehicle suitable for the desert terrain. The automobile convoy departed Touggourt (Algeria) in December 1922 and arrived in Timbuktu (Mali) in January 1923, passing through In Salah along the way. The photographs show a reception held for the mission, Citroën cars driving through an “arc de triomphe,” and a portrait of “M. Citroën” and “Général Estienne” (likely André Citroën and Lt. Georges Estienne).

Overall, an interesting collection showing French military activities in central and southern Algeria during the early 1920s.