Oblong Folio album (ca. 25x33 cm). 12 card stock leaves. With 96 mounted original gelatin silver photographs ca. 6x8 cm (2 ¼ x 3 in). Most photos with period ink/pencil captions (French) on the mounts. Period custom-made full-cloth album with gilt-lettered title “En Orient” and date on the front cover. Edges slightly worn, several photos with mild silvering, but otherwise a very good album with strong, interesting photos.

Historically interesting album of lively vernacular photos taken by a French traveler, during his three-week voyage in the summer of 1900.

As follows from the photographs, the compiler and his/her companions left the French coast on board the steamship “Sénégal” (1870-1913) and sailed to Izmir and Istanbul with a stopover in Pompeii. From there, the travelers passed through the Bosporus Strait and continued south along the Levantine coast, stopping at Beirut and Sidon (modern Lebanon) and Haifa (modern Israel/Palestine). They then traveled inland to Hama and Aleppo (modern Syria), before proceeding via Port Said to Luxor (modern Egypt) and later reaching Kosti (modern Sudan) on the White Nile.

The collection contains ninety-six well-executed photographs from the voyage and opens with about eight photos of Marseille. The images show general views of the city, local landmarks (Basilica of Notre Dame, Marseille Cathedral), and what appears to be Marseille-Fos Port.

Especially interesting are several candid urban scenes from Izmir, depicting street festivities with numerous flags celebrating the sultan’s anniversary, crowds of tourists disembarking at the city’s port, and portraits of local life, including a Turkish man drinking tea in the middle of a street. The Ottoman series concludes with over twenty early photographs of Istanbul, capturing its coastal panoramas, iconic landmarks (Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Gate to Istanbul University, Çırağan Palace, Fountain of Ahmed III, etc.), and the disciplined march of the Turkish Infantry through the city streets.

Four rare photos of Beirut feature excellent city panoramas, a now-destroyed waterfront hotel, and the portrait of a barefoot black orphan. There are also a few photos from Sidon, showing Crusader sea castle and entry to the port of “Saida.” About five lively photos of Haifa depict views of the Mount Carmel, the bustling train station, and Stella Marris Monastery with worshippers gathered in the courtyard. A couple of well-executed photographs from Syria feature early views of a Norias in Hama and Khusruwiyah Mosque in Aleppo. One important photograph depicts the newly established city of Kosti, founded in 1899 in Sudan, showing the city’s train station with a sign in both Arabic and French. The album also includes about fifteen photos of Luxor, showing general city views, local landmarks (Luxor Hotel, Colossi of Memnon, Temple of Khonsu, etc.), and a group portrait of local Bedouin children.

The rest of the images mostly show the steamship “Sénégal” from various angles, about a dozen views of Pompeii (the House of the Tragic Poet, Casa dei Forni, the Triangular Forum, and Via Stabiana), as well as several unidentified photographs.

Overall, historically interesting album of lively vernacular photos taken by a French traveler, during his three-week voyage in the summer of 1900.