Francis Frith – Photographs of Sinai and Palestine – London, 1862

Sinai and Palestine, by Francis Frith. London, Glasgow and Edinburgh: William Mackenzie, [ca. 1862]. English. Volume I (of four).

Thirty-six photographs by Francis Frith, depicting views of Sinai and Palestine. Each photograph accompanied by a printed descriptive leaf. An additional small photograph appears on the title page.

Francis Frith (1822-1898), English photographer and traveler, among the most prominent of the Holy Land's earliest photographers. Embarked on a journey to Alexandria in 1856, and then spent four years conducting photographic expeditions throughout the Near East. Owing to local conditions, Frith was forced to transport his photographic equipment from place to place on the backs of donkeys, and develop his negatives immediately after taking the photos in makeshift tents that served as his darkrooms. His works are widely regarded as the first professional photographs documenting the Holy Land.

37 photographs + [38] leaves (text). Photographs: approx. 16X22.5 cm. Leaves: 44.5 cm. Good condition. Stains to leaves (most photographs clean). Minor blemishes to a few photographs. Gilt edges. Elegant gilt-embossed binding, leather spine.