Album 1: Folio (ca. 33x25 cm or 13 x 9 ¾ in). 11 card stock leaves (6 blank). With 24 original gelatin silver photographs, including six large loosely inserted images ca. 18x24 cm (7 x 9 ¼ in) and eighteen mounted photos ca. 12,5x18 cm (5x7 in). Twelve photos with period ink captions “Clovis Thevenet, Alep (Syrie)” on verso; one photo with a printed caption “Thevenet – Alep. – Grande variété de vues de la Syrie” on verso; most images with period pencil captions in French on verso. Period grey card covers fastened with a string; period ink title “Syrie. 1922” on the first leaf; paper label “Artistic Studio C. Thévenet, Alep” on the inner side of the front board. a few photos mildly faded, front cover with a mild water stain, two mounts with minor tears or losses, but overall a very good album of interesting strong photos.
Album 2: Oblong Quarto (ca. 18,5x25 cm or 7 ¼ x 9 ¾ in). 12 card stock leaves. With 24 mounted original gelatin silver photographs (two identical), all ca. 12,5x18 cm (5x7 in). Twenty-two photos with period ink captions “Clovis Thevenet, Alep (Syrie)” on verso; two photos with printed captions “Thevenet – Alep. – Grande variété de vues de la Syrie” on verso; most images with period pencil captions in French on verso. Period grey card covers fastened with a string; period ink title “Alep - Syrie. 1922” on the first leaf. A few photos mildly faded, front cover with a very mild stain, but overall a very good album of interesting strong photos.

Attractive collection of early, well-executed studio photos of Syria, taken by an Aleppo studio of Clovis Thevenet in the first years of the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon (1923-1946). About twenty images show Aleppo: general city line and birds-eye views, photos with the Kouek (Queiq) River, closer views of the Citadel (general views from different angles, fortified entrance), Noria water wheel on the Queiq River, Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower (built in 1898-1899), Al-Othamaniyeh Mosque, a Muslim cemetery, a market square, residence “d’un grand marchand,” and others.
The other photos show Homs (general view, Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque), Hama (Orontes riverfront, famous Norias of Hama on the Orontes River), “Voudehi” railway station on the route from Aleppo to Beirut, Carchemish archaeological site near Djerablousse/Jarabulus (ruins, stone bas-reliefs), Tripoli in Lebanon (street view, a mosque), two group portraits of Syrian dervishes and Bedouin boys, close-up images of marble ornaments, mosaics, &c. A series of eight photos depicts the ruins of the famous Basilica “Kalat Siman” (Church of St. Simeon Stylites) northwest of Aleppo. Overall, a nice collection of well-executed professional photos of Syria in the 1920s.