Folio album (ca. 30,5x26 cm or 12 x 10 ¼ in). 15 card stock leaves. With 37 original albumen photos, including one large image ca. 21x26,5 cm (8 ¼ x 10 ¼ in); the rest of the photos are from ca. 14,5x20 cm (5 ¾ x 7 ¾ in) to ca. 9,5x13 cm (3 ¾ x 5 ¼ in). All but six photos with period ink or pencil captions on the mounts; ca. eleven images are with captions and/or numbers in negative; three photos with the studio copyright (“Caney photo”) in negative; five images with blind-stamps “Lloyd Artist, Natal” on the lower margin; one – with a blind stamp “Symonds & Co., Portsmouth” in the right lower corner. With one loosely inserted albumen photo (ca. 12x16,5 cm or 4 ¾ x 6 ½ in), a small printed map of the Natal Colony with period ink notes on recto and verso, and eleven watercolour or ink drawings from ca. 17,5x25 cm (6 ¾ x 9 ¾ in) to ca. 11x14 cm (4 ¼ x 5 ½ in). Period style maroon half morocco album with cloth boards; spine with raised bands; both spine and the boards with gilt-tooled decorative borders. Album leaves slightly age-toned, one photo with minor losses on the right margin, one with a repaired tear on the right margin; a couple of photos mildly faded, but overall a very good album of interesting strong photos.

Historically significant collection of 37 original albumen studio photos of the British colony of Natal, dating back to the period between the First (1880-1881) and Second (1899-1902) Boer Wars. Apparently assembled by a local resident, the album includes ten images of Durban: two views of the city taken from the Berea neighbourhood, forming a panorama; photos of the original St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on the corner of West and Broad streets (opened in 1881, dismantled with the construction of the Emmanuel Cathedral in 1902-1904); West Street (general view and a close-up photo of Weslean Methodist Church - built in 1879, demolished in 1969), the Bluff promontory, Durban Bay, and three bridges over the Umgeni River within Durban boundaries.

Five pictures of the colonial capital of Pietermaritzburg include two general views taken from Fort Napier and “Mt. side of Town Hill,” and closer views of Church Street, Longmarket/Langalibalele Street with the original building of the Natal Society Library (built in 1878, replaced in 1929) and a “bathing pool with park at back.” Other interesting images show Howick Falls on the Umgeni River, “Bridge at the Umgeni Falls at Howick just before the Falls,” Umkomas/uMkhomazi River, a railway hotel in Verulam, Pinetown, Weston and Mooi River, “the spot where Genl. Colley Fell” (memorial at the Battle of Majuba Hill on February 27, 1881, the final and decisive battle of the First Boer War), “transport waggons, Maritzburg in distance,” a scene of a public celebration with a large crowd of British spectators and mounted policemen, a British military camp, an oxen wagon train “on track,” and four group portraits of Zulu men and women. The largest photo (mounted on the last leaf) is a picture of HMS Minotaur (1863) at anchor in Portsmouth, taken by the local studio of “Symonds & Co.”

The album also contains a loosely inserted albumen photo (possibly a portrait of the compiler) and eleven watercolour or ink drawings, with five related to South Africa. The latter ones depict the exterior and interior of the artist’s residence (ink notes on recto and verso provide details, one drawing is dated 1883), two views of “Kai ka mina, my house” (a manuscript note to one reads “taken from hill at back nearly as high as house. Distance – about ¼ mile, the foliage in foreground represents commencement of a fine avenue of young syrinjas [syringas]”), and a view of a kraal at “Plas-Davies, the road to Howick.” A small map of the Natal Colony contains period ink markings of “Wt. fall” and “Stuartstown,” and a spot marked by a crossed circle; an ink note on the verso explains: “[…?] is somewhere in circle given but I think the map is full of errors in regard to mountains & inland streams. A trigonometrical survey is being taken & we shall presently have a reliable map of Natal, but meanwhile map makers content themselves with approximating the positions of a few big rivers & aesthetically shading off the rest of the country into hills & dales.” Overall an interesting collection of rare early original photos and annotated drawings of the Natal Colony.

A list of captions: R.C. Church, Durban; Durban taken from the Berea [additional caption in negative “Durban, No. 4”]; The Bluff, Durban; Durban from the Berea; On treck; Bush [additional caption in negative “Coast foliage, Natal, No. 52”]; P.M. from Fort Napier; The Inchanga [additional caption in negative “Hill top, Richmond, No. 25”]; Umgeni Falls at Howick [additional caption in negative “Umgeni Falls, Caney photo, No. 37”]; Zulus; Church St., P. Maritzburg; Bathing pool with park at back, P. Maritzburg; Natal Society Reading room, Long Market Street, P. Maritzburg; Howick Falls [additional caption in negative “Umgeni Falls, Caney photo, No. 4”]; Bridge at the Umgeni Falls at Howick just before the Falls [additional caption in negative “Howick, Caney photo, No. 51”]; Durban Bay; West Street, Durban; Railway bridge over Umgeni near mouth, Durban side; Bridge over Umgeni a little nearer mouth [additional caption in negative “Umgeni <…>, No. 50”]; Umgeni with foot bridge (taken before railway bridge was built which would be seen behind if there); Hotel Verulam; Transport waggons, Maritzburg in distance; Kafir Intombi (girls); West Street, Durban; Kafirs [additional caption in negative “Caney photo”]; Upper Umkomas; Lower Umkomas near lower drift [additional caption in negative “Umkomas, No 28”]; Pine town near Durban; The spot where General Colley fell; Road opposite P. M. Burg, Weston, Mooi River; P.M. Burg from Mt. side of Town Hill [additional caption in negative “P.M. Burg”].