#PE22
Ca. 1900s
Oblong Folio album ca. 28,5x37 cm (11 ¼ x 14 ¾ in). 50 black paper leaves (22 blank). With 218 mounted gelatin silver photos from ca. 8x13,5 cm (3 x 5 ¼ in) to ca. 6x8 cm (2 ¼ x 3 ¼ in). No captions. With 15 loosely inserted photos (including 5 duplicates): three large images ca. 22x34 cm (8 ½ x 13 ¼ in), ten photos ca. 15,20 cm (6x8 in) and two smaller images. Period maroon full sheep album with a gilt-lettered title on the front cover. Binding rubbed on extremities, the first leaf detached from the stub and loosely inserted, several images slightly faded, two large loosely inserted photos with creases and tears on extremities, but overall a very good album.
Interesting collection of original snapshot gelatin silver photos taken by an American or British family in the early 19th century, which includes about 112 lively images of Bermuda and its people. The photos of Bermuda include a series of views of the Town of St. George, showing the harbour with the Ordnance Island, a graveyard with a pink Salvation Army church in the background, St. Peter’s church and clock tower (the oldest surviving Anglican church in continuous use outside of British Isles), Stewart Hall, city streets and historical houses, &c. The identified views of Hamilton (the territorial capital) show the Princess Hotel taken from the harbour and city wharf. The other pictures of Bermuda show streets, roads, harbours with sailboats and naval ships, coastal views, private city houses and countryside residences, portraits of local cart drivers, local children, the album’s compiler and his companions, scenes on board a passenger steamer, &c.
The second half of the album, with over a hundred photos, depicts the compiler’s family life and their travels around Europe and the United States. The identified images show the “Peacock Hotel” (Rowsley, Derbyshire), the Cliff Palace (11th-12th-century cliff dwelling in Montezuma County, Colorado), and the Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs. A portrait of an elderly lady features a sign that says, “Cave of the Winds, Pleases Everybody,” most likely referring to the Cave of the Winds in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado. The other photos include scenes from an auto trip, coastal views, family portraits, views of European cities (likely in France), &c. The loosely inserted photos are mostly views of the exterior and interior of a manor, most likely in England. Overall an interesting collection of original snapshot photos of Bermuda in the early 20th century.
