Album 1: Oblong Folio (ca. 22x31,5 cm or 8 ¾ x 12 ¼ in). 24 card stock leaves with tissue guards. With 50 mounted original gelatin silver photos, including 46 large images from ca. 16,5x23 cm (6 ½ x 9 in) to ca. 14x21 cm (5 ½ x 8 ¼ in), and four smaller photos ca. 7x13,5 cm (2 ¾ x 5 ¼ in). All but six photo with period ink captions on the mounts; three images are also dated “Nov. 26,” “1926” or “May 1927.” Period full patterned cloth album fastened with a string with two decorative beads. Front cover slightly waved, several tissued guards with minor creases, one with a small loss on the bottom, but overall a very good album with strong interesting photos.

Album 2: Oblong Folio (ca. 21x30,5 cm or 8 ¼ x 12 in). 14 card stock leaves. With 27 mounted original large gelatin silver photos, from ca. 18x24 cm (7 x 9 ½ in) to ca. 16x21,5 cm (6 ¼ x 8 ½ in). Four images are captioned in negative (three – on the lower margin); twenty-three with period ink captions on the mounts. With a mounted ink drawing, paper size ca. 17x26,5 cm (6 ¾ x 10 ½ in). Period grey card album fastened with a string; blind-stamped decorative vignette on the front cover. Covers with creases and minor tears on extremities, two photos with minor creases or folds on the corners, but overall a very good album with interesting strong photos.

Historically significant, extensive collection of large original gelatin silver photos of British military planes and RAF bases at Abu Sueir (modern-day Abu Suweir Air Base of the Egyptian Air Force) and Aboukir near Alexandria (now defunct), dating back to the 1920s. Apparently taken or collected by a British pilot during his service in Egypt, the albums contain interesting images of aircraft and airfields, as well as a series of aerial views of Egyptian cities and sites.

The slightly larger album contains about a dozen photos of military and civil aircraft: “the Air Mail landing at Abu-Sueir,” “a patrol returning,” “208 (A.C.) squadron, Ismailia,” “’C’ flight in formation,” “one of the Fairey III Ds (1926 Cape Flight) at Abu Sueir,” “a French “Breguet XIX” at Abu-Sueir,” “the first Imperial Airways “Hercules” to fly from London to Baghdad passing over near Abu Sueir,” “the renowned “Ninak,” a D.H.9 A. with full desert equipment.” Three images depict crashed planes: (“an ‘F’ flight performance,” “Abou-Sueir/ Nov. ’26,” “a pupil’s effort, Abu Sueir.” There are also two scenes of “funeral of P/o Hawker” in “Abu Sueir, 1926” and a photo of “the Air Vice-Marshal’s inspection, Aboukir, May 1927.”

About sixteen images show the environs of the air base – the town of Abou Sueir/Abu Suweir and nearby Sweet Water Canal (“the Canal – Abou-Sueir,” “Sweetwater Canal,” “Nefiche, near A. Sueir,” “the ferry – Abu Sueir”), Ismailia (“native quarter,” “Avenue Mohamed Ali,” “Suez Canal – Ismailia”), Lake Timsah with native boats, &c. Four smaller photos also show Ismailia (general view, “Avenue Mohamed Ali”, “Rue Negrelli”, “the armoured train, Moascar/Ismailia”).

The rest of the photos show Port Said (port and customs house), Cairo (interiors of Muhammad Ali mosque and of the Egyptian Museum, rooftop panorama of “old Cairo”), Alexandria (an aerial view of “Alexandria sporting club ground & race course,” two views of the “Municipal gardens,” “native quarter”), a scene with Muslims praying at a “native temple,” portraits of Bedouins, Nubian women, a native cook near an outdoor fire, &c. There are also four interesting photos showing the Great Sphinx of Giza during the excavation and restoration under the supervision of Emile Baraize (lasted from 1925 to 1936). The images show the Sphinx before the excavations and under repair – with scaffolding around the head and on the side.

The smaller album contains twelve excellent aerial views: “the Nile barrage,” “Bulkeley – the English colony of Alexandria,” “King Fuad’s Palace at Montaza (nr. Aboukir),” “Church of St. Sophia – Cairo,” “the Mauretania in Alexandria harbour,” “Aboukir from the north,” “Aboukir village from the south,” “a Vickers Vernon over Damanhour,” “Alexandria sporting club ground,” “Ras-el-Tin hospital barracks, Alexandria,” “Mena and the Sphinx from the air,” “a general view of Alexandria.”

There are also interesting photos of British military aircraft (Vickers Victoria freighter and troop transport plane, “a Fairey III D” in flight over Malta, “a Fairey “Flycatcher” over Malta harbour”), two scenes of “A.O.C.’s inspection” in 1927 (likely, Air Officer Commanding) and a photo of “H.M.S. “Malaya” at Alexandria.” Other images show illumination on Alexandria streets “on the return of King Fuad from England” (likely, after the state visit in July 1927), “Cairo from the Sultan Hussein’s mosque,” “one of the exhibits at Cairo museum (models found while excavating),” “The Collussii [sic!] of Memnon at Thebes (the Luxor),” and “a photograph taken from the top of the largest Pyramid.” The album also contains three views of Jerusalem (“the Garden of Gethsemane,” the interior of “the Church of the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane,” and the Garden Tomb). Overall a nice collection of large original photos of RAF aircraft and bases, as well as aerial photographs of Egypt in the 1920s.