#PD74
Ca. 1920s.
Fifty-five loose original gelatin silver photographs, from ca. 18x24 cm (7 x 9 ¼ in) to ca. 16,5x22,5 cm (6 ½ x 9 in). Nine photos are captioned in negative (three also dated August or September 1927 in negative). All but eight photos with pencil captions in French on verso. Most photos with the residue of old mounts on verso, one image with a minor loss of the upper margin, A few photos mildly faded, but overall a very good collection.
Attractive collection of large original gelatin silver photos of Syria and Lebanon, taken in the late 1920s, during the period of the French Mandate for both states (1923-1946).
Very interesting is a series of thirteen aerial views, showing Damascus (general view, Umayyad Mosque, military “Camp Mérande,” possibly Murad Pasha Mosque,) Tartus, Beirut, Tripoli, Saida/Sidon, Rayak/Riyak, the sites of Baalbec and Palmyra and valleys of the Barada and Oronte Rivers. Three photos are dated in negative: “Beyrouth, 25-8-27,” “Tripoli, 29 Aout 1927,” “Village region d’Alep, 5 Sept. 1927;” the last image also bears the names of the pilot and the observer in negative. The collection also includes six photos of ruins of medieval and Crusader castles in the region: Masyaf Castle near Hama, Marqab/Margat Castle near Baniyas (fortress walls and remnants of towers), Krak des Chevaliers fortress west of Homs (Gothic ribbed vault), Beaufort Castle in Southern Lebanon.
Other photos of modern-day Syria show Damascus (interior of the Umayyad Mosque), Aleppo (entrance to the Citadel), Tartus, El Mina, source of the Oronte River, Norias of Hama water wheels (Noria al-Muhammadiya and others), Roman ruins in Latakia (Tetraporticus or Triumphal Arch of Septimus Severus, the Temple of Bacchus), ruins of Palmyra, a camel caravan, Syrian fishermen, &c. The images of Lebanon include views of Beirut (Pine Residence, race course), Beiteddine Palace (courtyard, interior of lavishly decorated rooms), Tripoli (souk, Dervish monastery), Hasbaya, ruins of Byblos (Jebeil), the Pyramid of Hermel (Beqaa Valley), a bridge over the Litani River, a waterfall near Jezzine, a road to the temple of Chtaura, Sofar/Sawfar village, a cedar of Lebanon, &.
Overall a nice collection of large original photos of Syria and Lebanon in the interwar period.
