#PE4
Ca. 1860s-1890s
Oblong Folio album (ca. 24,7x31 cm). 25 card stock leaves. With 40 albumen prints, including 37 large photos from ca. 26,1x22,9 cm (10 ¼ x 9 in) to ca. 15,1x21,8 cm (5 ¾ x 8 ½ in) and three smaller images from ca. 14,3x 19,3 (5 ¼ x 7 ½ in) to ca. 13,4x19,9 cm (5 ¼ x 7 ¾ in). 13 photos numbered and/or signed and/or captioned in French in negative. Period green full pebbled cloth. Edges worn, fragments of the photo on p. 12 lost, several photos with minor fragments lost, but overall a very good album with strong, interesting photos.
Historically interesting collection of 40 large, early albumen photographs of French colonial Algeria, taken by the renowned Parisian “ND” (Neurdein Co.) studio as part of their effort to advertise the region.
At the turn of the 19th century, the Neurdein photographic company (est. in the 1860s) received government funding to produce images and postcards of Algeria, aiming to promote colonial tourism and attract private investment. Neurdein photographers were dispatched to the colonies to capture local scenes, which were then processed, edited in Paris, and marketed to businesses in Algeria.
The collection features forty well-executed photographs of Algeria, with six excellent views of its capital, showing the interior of the Bardo National Museum, the Botanical garden, Djamaa el Kebir mosque, and vibrant street scenes in the Casbah. About fifteen early views of Constantine portray a panoramic cityscape from the road to Mansourah, the Camp of Beni Ramassés, the Corniche Road with its train tunnels, the waterfall of Sidi M’Cid, and the iconic Vault of Rhumel. Especially interesting are five unidentified images of Moorish girls and local peasants in traditional attire leading laden camels through the terrain, navigating bustling markets, and making their way through the alleys of an old quarter. The other photos mostly show rare, early views of Tebessa (The Old Mosque of Tebessa, Basilique Sainte-Crispine, Arch of Caracalla), Staouelli (Abbey of Our Lady of Staouëli), Laghouat (a market square), Chiffa (Gorges), Biskra (Algerian residential houses, a bridge, tolga, etc.), and Souk Ahras (Thubursicum).
The album also includes a photo of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia.
Overall, historically interesting collection of 40 large-size, early albumen photos of French colonial Algeria.
