40 original gelatin silver photographs from ca. 6,9x11,1 cm (2 ¾ x 4 ½ in) to ca. 3,5x11 cm (1 ½ x 4 ½ in) mounted on two cardboards from both sides. All photos with period black ink captions on the mounts (in Russian). Several photos slightly age-toned and with mild-silvering, but overall a very good album with strong, interesting photos.

Historically important collection of forty original gelatin silver photographs taken by an amateur photographer during the Kamchatka Complex Expedition in 1908-1910.

The Russian Geographical Society’s expedition, funded by the prominent philanthropist Fyodor Ryabushinsky (1886-1910), was aimed at a comprehensive study of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The expedition consisted of six specialized departments and was led by the Russian botanist Vladimir Komarov (1869-1945). The team departed St. Petersburg in April 1908 and arrived in Petropavlovsk aboard the steamers “Eighteen” and “Litsun” in late May. The researchers mapped and documented 31 volcanoes and primary thermal sources across the peninsula, publishing their findings in four parts between 1912 and 1916. None of the photographs from our collection were found in the official expedition documents during our research.

The collection features forty rare photographs of the Ryabushinsky expedition, taken in Central and Southern Kamchatka from May 1908 to September 1909. About twenty excellent, thoroughly annotated photos depict local landscapes, including mountains (Mishennaya Sopka), ranges (Valaginsky, Karakuli), rock formations (Kutkhiny Baty), rivers (Ozernaya, Kamchatka, Kroda-Kyg, Andrianovka), thermal springs (near Ozernaya River), and anabranches (Chabaevskaya & Antonovskaya).  Over fifteen well-executed, lively scenes show the expedition members traveling from Milkovo to Petropavlovsk, with stops in Sharomi, Pushchino, and Ganaly. The photos portray the researchers at their winter base, driving dog sleds, resting by their yurt, conducting hydrographical experiments on the Khalaktyrsky River, and overlooking Avachinskaya guba (with clearly visible “three brothers”). There are also a few vibrant photographs showing the team members bathing in hot springs near Paratunki, sailing on the Ozernaya River, and posing by the overgrown lava flows.  The other interesting photos include the views of the now-extinct villages of Verkhne and Nizhne Kamchatsk, a fish drying booth in Milkovo, wooden houses in the village of Klyuchi, and fishermen catching salmon in the Kamchatka River. Overall, historically important collection of photographs documenting the Kamchatka Complex Expedition of 1908-1910.