PDF - William Reese Company

William Reese Company
Rare Books, Americana, Literature & Pictorial Americana
409 Temple Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
203 / 789 · 8081 fax: 203 / 865 · 7653 e-mail: [email protected] web: www.williamreesecompany.com
Bulletin 44: Photography
A Classic of Western Photography
1. Adams, Ansel E., and Mary H. Austin: TAOS PUEBLO. San Francisco.
1930. [6] preliminary pages followed by [14]pp. of text and twelve original
mounted photographs, printed on Dessonville paper by Ansel Adams, various
sizes to 9 x 6½ inches, each with a corresponding caption leaf. Large folio.
Publisher’s half tan morocco and cloth, spine with raised bands, marbled
endpapers. Very good.
From an edition limited to 108 copies (this copy is number 64) signed by Mary
Austin and Ansel Adams. Possibly the most famous modern photographic work on
the West, Taos Pueblo was a collaboration between the young photographer, Ansel
Adams, and one of the most evocative writers on the Southwest, Mary Austin. An
elegant design by the Grabhorn Press provides a counterpoint to Adams’ photographs of the adobe Pueblo. The book distilled the romance and naturalism that
many Americans found in the Indian pueblos of New Mexico, and defined the style
that was to make Adams the most popular photographer of the American West.
$85,000.
An Early Boston African-American Daguerreotype
2. [African-American Photographica]: [PORTRAIT OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN, ELIZA
MIDDLETON, CIRCA 1847]. Boston. [ca. 1847]. Ninth-plate daguerreotype, 2 x 2½ inches. Brass mat, framed under glass
in contemporary leather case. Slight silvering of the surface area, spine of case perished. Very good.
A significant, early daguerreotype portrait of an austere African-American woman, Eliza Middleton, taken in Boston in the mid19th century. Includes a printed price list on verso, reading “Plumbe National Daguerrian Gallery, 75 Court Street, Boston, W.B.
Eastman, Proprietor.” There was a substantial African-American community in Boston from Revolutionary times, centered
around the north slope of Beacon Hill. Images of African-Americans in daguerreotypes are very rare
$3750.
An Impressive Album of Photographs of Angkor Wat,
the Bayon Temple, and the Environs
3. [Angkor]: [SIGNIFICANT ALBUM OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF ANGKOR WAT, THE BAYON TEMPLE,
ANGKOR THOM, AND ENVIRONS]. [Angkor, ca.
1920s]. Ninety-three photographs. Large folio album,
leather spine, the front cover a tooled copper sheet
representing the Bayon Temple. Front hinge cracking
slightly. Ninety-three matte silver gelatin photographs,
on sheets of slightly variable size but generally 30 x 24
cm.; images uniformly 23.5 x 16.5 cm. All photographs in
excellent condition, tipped onto larger sheets, interleaved
with protective tissue.
A very handsome and impressive album of Angkor Wat,
the Bayon Temple, and the larger environs of Angkor
Thom, taken by an unidentified but professional photographer, almost certainly in the 1920s. The photographs depict
architecture; sculptures both freestanding and as friezes;
waterworks; and other features of the larger landscape of
Angkor. A handsome and significant album of photographs
on the world’s greatest archeological site, at a point when
many parts of it were little disturbed. $9000.
Early Photographs of a Remote Pacific Island
4. [Australia]: [Norfolk Island]: [ALBUM OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE
SCENERY AND PEOPLE OF NORFOLK ISLAND IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC
OCEAN]. Norfolk Island. [ca. 1900]. Forty-two carbon prints, approximately 6 x 8
inches, on forty-two cream card album leaves, each mounted within ruled frame with
printed caption below. Oblong small folio. Contemporary red morocco, gilt, marbled
endpapers, a.e.g. Very good.
First sighted by Capt. James Cook on his second voyage, for the first half of the 19th century Norfolk Island was largely used as a penal colony. In the 1850s, it was subsequently
settled by the Pitcairn Island descendents of the Bligh mutineers. In the 1860s the Anglican Church established a large Melanesian mission on the island. The present images, by
an unknown but probably Australian photographer, comprise views of Kingston, various
lagoons and bays, landscape scenes featuring the island’s iconic pine trees and other vegetation, images at the Melanesian Mission, and group portraits of the island’s inhabitants (presumably including Bligh mutineer descendents). $12,000.
A Stunning Civil War Landscape Image
by Barnard
5. Barnard, George N.: [BATTLE GROUND OF RESACCA, GA.
No. 2]. [1866]. Albumen photograph from a negative taken in 1866,
10⅝ x 14¹/₁₆ inches, on period card mount, 18 x 21¾ inches. Printed caption
below the image. Very good. Matted.
This image was used by Barnard in his Photographic Views of Sherman’s Campaign, but is here separately printed at a contemporary date in slightly larger
format. The present image offers a poignant reminder of the trail of destruction left across the Confederacy by General William T. Sherman’s army in
1864 to 1865 during his famous campaign from Nashville to Chattanooga then
Atlanta and so to Savannah and the sea. $2000.
A Fine Album of Early Bermuda Photographs
6. [Bermuda]: Lusher, N.E.: [ALBUM OF THIRTY-ONE ALBUMEN
PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWING SCENES IN BERMUDA AND
ELSEWHERE]. [Bermuda. ca. 1882]. Sixteen leaves, containing thirtyone mounted photographs, each approximately 7 x 9 inches. Oblong folio.
Contemporary black cloth, neatly rebacked and recornered in contemporary black
morocco, gilt. Light wear and soiling to cards. Images generally crisp and clean.
Very good plus.
A handsome 19th-century photo album which includes the work of one of the great
photographers of Bermuda. Three of the images have been definitely attributed to
N.E. Lusher—the first, showing the construction of a gangway to a docked vessel at
St. Georges; the eighth image, showing a shaded crossroads; and the charming ninth
image of a black woman and a young boy seated in a donkey cart. The remainder of the
album includes a number of images of Bermuda subjects which are of a similarly high
quality which suggest that they are all the work of Lusher. $10,000.
A Handsome Album of Bermuda Photographs
7. [Bermuda]: Weiss, William: [ALBUM OF FORTY-FOUR LARGE FORMAT ALBUMEN
PHOTOGRAPHS OF BERMUDA]. [Bermuda. ca. 1902–1910]. Forty-four mounted albumen
photographs, each 7¾ x 9¼ inches. Oblong folio. Contemporary three-quarter pebbled leather and cloth, gilt.
Spine neatly repaired in matching calf. Gift inscription penciled on a front blank. Images generally crisp and
clean. Very good. In a red cloth clamshell box, gilt leather label.
A fascinating collection of early 20th-century photographs of Bermuda, from one of the noted local photographers of the era, William Weiss. Most of the photographs are stamped by Weiss’s photography studio in the negative, and those that are not stamped are very likely also Weiss compositions. William Weiss was a commercial
photographer active in Bermuda from about 1902 until his death in 1925. Many of the images here are iconic representations of Bermudian locations, also appearing later in reproductions, both monochromatic and in color, and
on postcards. $7500.
A Wonderful Album of West Coast Bridges
8. [Bridge Construction in the West]: [PHOTOGRAPHIC ALBUM
OF WEST COAST BRIDGES]. [Washington, D.C. ca. 1935]. Over 300
original mounted silver gelatin photographs, most from approximately
3 x 5½ to 7½ x 9½ inches, with seven panoramas, the largest about 3 x
13¾ inches. Oblong folio. Contemporary paper-covered thin boards,
twin-bolt binding, calligraphic title on front cover. Paper along the joints
largely chipped away, corners worn, some rubbing and soiling to boards.
Mounted photographs generally in excellent condition. Very good.
A fantastic photograph album, largely composed of images featuring bridges
located on the West Coast of the United States. Except for the first twentysix photographs, which concern bridges at Mount Vernon and the Boundary
Channel Bridge in Arlington, and a handful showing bridges in New Mexico
and Montana, all the bridges photographed are located on the West Coast,
including California, Oregon, Washington, and also Arizona, many constructed with the
help of the Federal Aid Project.
The album itself
has the impression of a WPA
product, though it is not identified as such. At the least, it is likely the work of an engineer familiar with the technical aspects of bridge construction, evidenced by the captions. $5000.
A Striking Bust Portrait of the Radical Abolitionist
9. [Brown, John]: [STRIKING OVAL SALT PAPER PRINT PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPH OF
RADICAL ABOLITIONIST, JOHN BROWN]. [Boston. 1856]. Oval salt print, 3½ x 2¾ inches, mounted
to a larger backing sheet. Some tiny surface spots, image slightly faded, minor adhesive stain from a
newspaper clipping affixed just below the image. Very good. Matted.
Following his bloody anti-slavery activities in Kansas, John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry in the fall of 1859 is
often thought of as the spark that ignited the Civil War. This image was taken in Boston in 1856 at the photography studio of John Adams Whipple. Following the Pottawatomie Massacre, Brown spent the years 1856–57 in
Boston to promote his cause and raise funds for what would become his famous raid on Harper’s Ferry. A rare and
essential image of the great abolitionist. $2000.
Handsome Salt Print Portraits,
Including an Early Portrait of Sam Houston
10. Brinckerhoff, J. De Witt (photographer): [ALBUM OF TWENTY
MOUNTED OVAL PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHS, ON MOUNTS
WITH BRINCKERHOFF’S IMPRINT]. [New York. ca. 1856]. Twenty
mounted oval varnished salt print portrait photographs, guarded on old linen and
interleaved with tissue. The image size of the portraits measuring approximately
8 x 6 inches. Folio. Bound to style in half black morocco and period dark purple
cloth, upper cover with a period mounted label with the date 1856, spine gilt,
period marbled endpapers. With Brinckerhoff’s trade label mounted on the front
pastedown. Very good.
The reason for assembling this album is unclear, though it would seem to have served
as a trade catalogue or salesman’s sample book to encourage sitters at Brinckerhoff’s
studio. A similar album containing twenty-three images was sold in the sale of the
famed pioneering collection of Sidney Strober (Parke Bernet, Feb, 7, 1970, lot 18).
In the Strober copy the sitters in two of the images are identified, both present here:
daguerreotypist and lens maker Charles C. Harrison, and famed Texan Samuel
Houston. $27,500.
Photographic Album
of Byrd’s First Antarctic Expedition
11. [Byrd, Richard E.]: [Antarctic Exploration]: [PHOTO ALBUM
OF ADMIRAL RICHARD BYRD’S FIRST EXPEDITION TO THE
ANTARCTIC, 1928–1930]. [Antarctica; New York. 1928–1930; 1939]. 130
photographs, mostly 3 x 4 inches, on twenty-one album leaves. Original black
cloth, twine ties. Album leaves brittle, edges chipped and torn. Several leaves
detached. Minor soiling to some photos, but generally very good.
Over the course of three summers, Byrd and his men conducted geological surveys,
collected photographs, and carried out aerial reconnaissance from their base on the
Ross Ice Shelf. In November 1929, he and his crew completed the first round trip
flight to the South Pole. This album contains eighty-four photos depicting various aspects of the voyage, including the men in transit and in camp, the ships and
airplanes used, preparations for overland exploration, scientific and photographic
endeavors, wildlife, and scenery. The album also contains a series of forty-six other
photos from the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. $5000.
With Original Photographs
of Redwood Lumbering
12. Cherry, Edgar: REDWOOD AND LUMBERING IN CALIFORNIA
FORESTS. San Francisco. 1884. ii,107pp. plus twenty-four albumen print
photographs, each on an individual thin card mount within a purple printed
border, twenty with purple printed titles, the other four with no printed title.
Quarto. Original red cloth, title stamped in gilt on front board. Corners bumped
and worn, spine lightly soiled, head and foot of spine slightly frayed. Personal
embossed stamp on first two leaves and final plate. Light foxing, primarily to first
and last few leaves. Images generally clean and bright. About very good.
Displaying astonishing photographs whose publication surely unsettled an eastern audience unprepared for the room-size circular saw blades, strange “donkey
engines,” and endlessly long logging trains used to harvest the giants, this volume, published to promote the use of “superior” redwood, was illustrated with photographs to prove, where engravings might appear to exaggerate, the enormous
growth of the redwood. $8500.
“San Quentin’s been livin’ hell for me. . . .”
13. [California Criminals]: [San Quentin Mug Shot Book]: DESCRIPTION OF PRISONERS RECEIVED AT CALIFORNIA STATE PRISON AT SAN
QUENTIN [caption title]. [San Quentin, Ca. 1928–1929]. [458]pp. (numbered 11627–12085). Approximately 1,300 silver gelatin photographs. Original gray cloth album,
screw-bound, spine stamped “SAN
QUENTIN” with prisoner number range
and “VOL. K.” Minor edge wear, some
insect damage to spine. First leaf detached
but present, a few leaves with a diagonal
closed tear. Overall very good.
An incredible record of all inmates processed into San Quentin Prison between
Sept. 1928 and June 1929. With over 450
pages of information, and with virtually
every page including statistics for three
prisoners, this fascinating logbook contains
vital statistics on approximately 1,300 prisoners in the California penal system at the
beginning of the Great Depression. Almost
all of the inmates are depicted with a mug
shot, resulting in approximately 1,300 silver
gelatin photographs mounted in the album.
Prison mug shot books are exceedingly rare
in the market. $13,500.
A Remarkable Album of Chicago Architecture by Photographer John W. Taylor
14. [Chicago]: [Taylor, John W., photographer]: [ALBUM CONTAINING 154 ALBUMEN PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHICAGO BY A NOTED
PHOTOGRAPHER, INCLUDING IMPORTANT ARCHITECTURAL IMAGES, AS WELL AS IMAGES RELATING TO THE PREPARATIONS FOR
THE 1893 WORLD’S FAIR, THE STOCKYARDS AS DESCRIBED BY UPTON SINCLAIR, AND MORE]. [Chicago. ca 1890]. 152 albumen photographs,
most 7 x 9 inches, mounted recto and verso of each leaf within the album. Images captioned in manuscript on the mount below the image, many signed in white ink or
in the negative by Taylor. Oblong
folio. Expertly bound to style in half
dark purple morocco and period
cloth-covered boards, spine lettered
in gilt, marbled endpapers. Very
good.
A major photographic record of the
city of Chicago and its architecture in the late 19th century, almost
entirely the work of the significant
photographer John W. Taylor, with
his imprint in the negative. Taylor
was a bookseller and stationer before
advertising himself as a commercial
photographer in the late 1880s. He
concentrated his work on Chicagoarea architecture and city infrastructure. Today he is recognized as a
pioneering photographer of architecture, working in Chicago at the very
beginning of the skyscraper era. This
superb photograph album presents
a fairly comprehensive view of Chicago’s architecture and life during
one of the city’s most interesting and
vibrant periods, from the highest of
the skyscrapers to the interiors of pig
pens in the stockyards, with numerous residences, parks, lush interiors,
the 1893 World’s Fair, and more inbetween. $27,500.
An Amazing Collection of Photographs of Gilded Age Mansions in Chicago and Elsewhere
15. [Chicago]: [Architectural Photography]: [OUTSTANDING COLLECTION OF EARLY ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY FEATURING
BUILDINGS IN CHICAGO, CLEVELAND, NEW YORK CITY, BUFFALO, BOSTON, AND MICHIGAN]. [Chicago, Cleveland, New York City, Buffalo,
Boston, & Battle Creek, Mi. ca. 1880s]. Three volumes. 219 albumen photographs, backed on linen. Oblong quarto. Contemporary cloth. A handful of photos in the
second volume dampstained, else very good. In a black half morocco box.
An astounding collection of
photographs highlighting the
golden age of architecture in
Chicago, particularly the style
of Richardsonian Romanesque,
named for the prominent architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Some of Richardson’s own
work is featured in this archive,
including some of his buildings
in Cleveland and Boston. Other
architects represented in these
photographs include an array
of the most famous designers in
Chicago during the latter part
of the 19th century. A number
of the images show buildings at
various stages of construction, a
rare feature for albums of architectural photographs like this.
An amazing archive of Richardsonian Romanesque architectural photographs from the
style’s heyday. $25,000.
A Remarkable Album of Photographs of Union
Generals, with Their Signatures
16. [Civil War Photographica]: [Union General Autographs]: [A
REMARKABLE PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM CONTAINING EIGHTYSEVEN CARTES DE VISITE OF UNION COMMANDERS, MOST
WITH AN ORIGINAL CUT SIGNATURE MOUNTED BENEATH THE
PHOTO]. [Various places. ca. 1862–1865]. Eighty-seven carte de visite photographs
by Anthony, Taber, and Brady, and sixty-three mounted cut signatures, within
twenty-four pasteboard leaves with diecut windows. With a lithographed titlepage
printed in gilt. Contemporary brown morocco, covers elaborately tooled in gilt and
with a central inset
sunken panel, spine
gilt, brass hinges and
clasps embossed with
Union shields and
onlaid belt buckles,
a.e.g., silk endpapers. Very good.
An extensive Civil War photo album containing carte de visite portraits of eighty-seven Union generals, admirals, commodores, and a captain, sixty-three of which include original signature cuts or letter closings mounted
underneath the portraits. The index leaf in the rear is inscribed in a contemporary hand with almost all of the
names of the officers contained in the album. A handsome and painstakingly created memorial of the men who
saved the Union. A complete list is available upon request. $13,500.
With Fourteen Original Photographs
17. Collier, John (photographer); and [Harrington, Charles]: SUMMERING IN COLORADO.
Denver. 1874. 158pp. plus [5]pp. advertisements and fourteen mounted photographs. Original brown
cloth, stamped in blind and gilt. Contemporary ownership inscription on front pastedown, dated 1880
in Colorado. Some scattered light tanning in text, else clean. Eight contemporary botanical specimens
mounted on blank pages throughout text; some minor offsetting from specimens. First photographic leaf
loose. All the photographs are bright and clean and show rich tonality. Near fine.
Published to promote tourism, this work contains images of Central City, Boulder Canyon, Clear Creek Canyon, Grand Crater, Rainbow Falls (Manitou), Monument Park, and more. Unlike many Colorado pieces, the
scenes are all over the state and not concentrated around Colorado Springs. Rarely found with all fourteen
photos. $2750.
Building Connecticut, Especially the Bethany Dam
18. [Connecticut]: [MASSIVE ARCHIVE OF OVER 1,550 ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS
RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, MAINLY IN NEW HAVEN COUNTY,
CONNECTICUT, 1892–1951]. [Mainly Waterbury, Ct. 1892–1951]. Approximately 1,550 sepiatoned or black-and-white photographs, most between 2 x 4 inches and 4 x 6 inches (a handful slightly
smaller, some slightly larger), a handful of panoramas, and about ten examples 8 x 10 inches. One
cloth photograph album, two paperbound photo albums, numerous loose album pages, and the
remainder of approximately 950 photographs loose. Some slightly faded, minor edge wear, a handful
unevenly trimmed, almost all of the loose photos previously mounted, with adhesive and paper
remnants on verso. A handsome and engaging assemblage.
An amazing collection of vernacular photography, most detailing public works projects in Connecticut
from the late 1920s through the 1940s, including the Bethany Dam, the Shepaug Dam, and other projects
in New Haven County. This archive is an important treasure trove for the urban planner or developer, or
anyone studying water use, engineering, architecture, or public works projects, specifically dam, bridge,
and road construction. Some groups of photographs are like time-lapse photography; one can almost
watch the Shepaug River Bridge being built from the foundation to finished product through a couple
hundred photographs. The photos reveal the massive nature of this and other public works projects, especially interesting since most of the work here was begun and completed in the darkest years of the Great Depression. A full description is available upon request. $7500.
Original Photographs
of a Sailing Classic of the Caribbean
19. Fenger, Frederic A.: [ARCHIVE OF 109 ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN DURING
THE VOYAGE OF FREDERIC FENGER’S SAILING CLASSIC, Alone in the Caribbean].
[Grenada, Carriacou, and other Caribbean locations. ca. 1911]. Group of 109 original silver gelatin
photographs, each approximately 3 x 4 inches. Most mounted to stiff cards with typed captions below
the image, some with Fenger’s hand stamp on verso. Photographs in generally near fine condition.
A fantastic archive of over one hundred original photographs taken by Frederic Fenger documenting his
famous voyage through the Lesser Antilles aboard his handmade canoe, the Yakaboo. The majority of
these photographs were not published, and thus represent an important and unique cache of images. From
the photographs, it is apparent that Fenger was not only an excellent boatman and fine author, but quite an
accomplished photographer. The photographs cover a broad range of subjects, including local peoples, customs, architecture, natural formations, maritime subjects, street scenes, and more. Includes a first edition of
the printed book, Alone in the Caribbean. An excellent photographic record of Fenger’s Caribbean exploits,
with the finished, published product of his efforts. $5750.
Magnificent Suite of Photographs of Erskine’s Expedition to New Guinea
20. [Erskine, Commodore James E.]: [Augustine Dyer, photographer]: NARRATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION OF THE AUSTRALIAN SQUADRON TO
THE SOUTH-EAST COAST OF NEW GUINEA. OCTOBER TO DECEMBER, 1884. Sydney. 1885. [4],99pp. plus map, three chromolithographic plates,
thirty-three original silver albumen prints, a four-sheet folding panorama of albumen prints, and a two-sheet panorama of albumen prints. Panoramas backed with
linen, photographs mounted on card with printed captions. Large folio. Contemporary blue morocco, gilt, title gilt on cover. Extremities rubbed, corners bumped,
boards lightly scuffed. Lightly foxed. Map with closed tear at right edge. Scattered foxing and wear to photographic mounts, but the images generally bright and crisp.
Very good.
This remarkable album contains a superb and highly important series of ethnographic
and exploration photographs taken in the course of the Erskine expedition, in which
Great Britain established a Protectorate over the southern coast of New Guinea. The
magnificent photographs document the landing of the Australian Squadron under
Commodore James Erskine in the fall of 1884, and the ceremonies between the Brit-
ish and the New Guinean natives. It is most impressive as an ethnographic album, one
of the very first such photodocumentations of South Pacific natives. All were printed
and produced in Sydney, in a small edition for presentation. A special copy was delivered to Her Majesty the Queen as “a keen supporter of photography.” $52,500.
Early Images of Montana
21. Foote, Morris C., Lieut.: [GROUP OF NINETEEN PHOTOGRAPHS
OF FLATHEAD LAKE, BIG FORK, MONTANA FROM THE
COLLECTION OF LIEUT. MORRIS C. FOOTE]. [Montana. ca. 1878].
Nineteen sepia-toned photographs, housed in plastic sleeves and stored in a
three-ring binder. Almost all 5 x 7 inches. Three photographs separated into
pieces, some somewhat faded. Else good.
A group of photographs of the Bigfork and Flathead Lake area of Montana, from
the collection of U.S. Army officer Lieut. Morris C. Foote. Highlights include an
image of Kootenai Indians near Dayton Creek, located on the west side of Flathead
Lake, as well as multiple views of camp scenes in which several men are gathered
together, including images of a surveying party and images of hunters armed with
their rifles. Images from this area of the West during this period are rare. $2500.
Important Cuban Book
Illustrated with Original Mounted Photographs
22. Gelpi y Ferro, Gil: ALBUM HISTORICO FOTOGRAFICO DE LA GUERRA DE CUBA
DESDE SU PRINCIPIO HASTA EL REINADO DE AMADEO I. Havana. 1872. 413pp. plus
folding map and twenty-four mounted albumen photographs, each 7 x 10 inches. Half title. Folio.
Original printed wrappers bound into half leather and cloth, spine gilt. Extremities rubbed, front hinge
starting. Lower corner of front cover and half title torn away, repaired with tissue. Minor foxing. Very
good.
Illustrated work on the Ten Years’ War, the bloody civil war between Spanish loyalists and rebels fighting for Cuba’s independence, with twenty-four photographs by Varela y Suarez, comprised of images of
notable citizens and views of Cuba. This is a history produced by the loyalist forces, dominated by the large
plantation owners. The photographer, Leopoldo Varela y Suarez, was one of a small group of photographers to photograph and publish images of this war. $7500.
Interesting Photographic Album, Especially of Florida
23. Goodale, D.C.: REMINISCENCES
OF FLORIDA, ILLINOIS AND
MISSOURI [cover title]. [Various
locations. 1892]. Twenty-six leaves
containing 104 albumen photographs.
Each photo caption in contemporary
ink on the mount. Oblong octavo.
Original brown morocco, cover gilt,
sympathetically rebacked, a.e.g. Corners
heavily worn, covers rubbed. Minor soiling
and wear to mounts, but images clean.
Very good.
An interesting album of photographs compiled by one photographer—presumably
an amateur—which includes scenes in Missouri, Illinois, and Florida. The images,
which start with scenes of street illumination in St. Louis, include views of significant architectural monuments and parkland in major cities, steamers coaling
and loading grain on the Illinois River, and other vernacular subjects such as farms, gardens, rail yards, and people. The
album jumps around between states, showing areas around St. Louis, Kansas City, Allendale, and St. Joseph in Missouri; Peoria, Pullman, and Patoka in Illinois; two photographs in Patriot, Indiana, located just south of Cincinnati on
the Kentucky border; and views in Palatka, Jacksonville, Tampa, and St. Augustine in Florida. $3500.
Portrait of a Yale Man
24. [Hadley, James]: [HALF-PLATE DAGUERREOTYPE OF YALE PROFESSOR JAMES HADLEY].
[New York? nd, ca. 1850]. Oval daguerreotype, 4½ x 3½ inches, in an attractive contemporary stamped gutta-percha
frame, gilt, lined in red velvet. A few light spots. Near fine.
A handsome daguerreotype of Yale professor James Hadley (1821–72). Hadley was born in Fairfield, New York and
graduated from Yale in 1842. He was a philologist and professor of Greek there from 1851 to 1872. His son, Arthur T.
Hadley, later became president of Yale University. $3000.
Classic Photographically Illustrated Book
on the American West
25. Hayden, Ferdinand V.: Russell, Andrew J., photographer: SUN PICTURES
OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCENERY, WITH A DESCRIPTION OF
THE GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL FEATURES, AND
SOME ACCOUNT OF THE RESOURCES OF THE GREAT WEST;
CONTAINING THIRTY PHOTOGRAPHIC VIEWS ALONG THE LINE
OF THE PACIFIC RAIL ROAD, FROM OMAHA TO SACRAMENTO.
New York. 1870. viii,150pp. Thirty mounted albumen photographs. Large quarto.
Half title. Contemporary three-quarter green morocco and cloth, spine gilt, a.e.g.
Very good.
This impressive book, one of the standard pieces of photographically illustrated Western Americana, was prepared by the famous geologist, Ferdinand V. Hayden. The
views, depicting scenes along the line of the Union Pacific Rail Road, are intended to
illustrate the geology which can be observed from the train. Despite the title, all the
photographs are of locales within the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada (twelve in Wyoming, sixteen in Utah, and two in California). $15,000.
Images from the Hayden Survey
26. [Hayden, Ferdinand Vandeveer]: Jackson, William Henry: [FIVE ALBUMEN
PRINTS FROM HAYDEN’S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, CIRCA 1873–1874].
[Colorado & Arizona. 1873–1874]. Five albumen prints, all about 4¼ x 7¼ inches, with
printed titles (in the negative), and mounted on cards with U.S. Geological Survey
imprints. Minor foxing to one image, light edge wear. Very good.
Five important photographs taken by esteemed photographer William Henry Jackson
during the latter years of Ferdinand V. Hayden’s primary survey of the American West.
Hayden’s survey explored large portions of the American West for the first time, and these
five images by Jackson represent some of the earliest and famous views of the high central
Rocky Mountains and the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde. The five photographs in this selection are: “65. North from Berthoud Pass”; “79. Middle Park. East from Mt. Bross”; “281.
Casa del Eco. Rio San Juan”; “283. Cave Town on the Rio de Chelley. Arizona”; “284. Cave
Town on the Rio de Chelley. Arizona”. $3000.
Early Photographs of Aged Revolutionaries
27. Hillard, Elias B., Rev.: THE LAST MEN OF THE REVOLUTION. A PHOTOGRAPH OF EACH FROM
LIFE, TOGETHER WITH VIEWS OF THEIR HOMES PRINTED IN COLORS. ACCOMPANIED BY BRIEF
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE MEN. Hartford. 1864. 64pp. plus six original mounted photographs and six
colored lithographs. 12mo. Original half leather and pebbled green cloth, front board gilt, spine gilt. Some rubbing and
spotting to cloth. Very good.
This book is remarkable for its extraordinarily early mounted photographs of actual
veterans of the American Revolution. The
photographs provide a remarkable reach
back in time, showing persons born in the
1750s and 1760s. “The photographs were
made uniformly under makeshift circumstances as would have been required if the
photographs were made in situ while Hillard visited each for a personal interview”—
Goldschmidt & Naef. A truly wonderful little book. $7500.
A Jackson Mammoth Plate Image
28. Jackson, William H.: THE ROYAL GORGE (GRAND CANON OF
THE ARKANSAS.) DENVER AND RIO GRANDE RAILWAY—THE
SCENIC LINE OF AMERICA [manuscript caption title]. Denver. [ca. 1880].
Mammoth-plate albumen photograph, 22 x 17¼ inches. Jackson’s name printed
on the mat. Light discoloration in the sky in the upper center portion of the image.
Near fine. Matted, glazed, and framed, with calligraphic manuscript title below the
photograph. Contemporary wooden presentation frame (see below).
A beautiful mammoth-plate albumen photograph by William H. Jackson of the Royal
Gorge in central Colorado. This photograph was taken during Jackson’s Denver era
when he did extensive work for the railroads of Colorado and was given his own personal railroad car from which he based his photographic excursions and operations.
$7500.
A Unique Photographic Catalogue of Jackson’s Stereoview Images of Colorado and Yellowstone
29. Jackson, William
H.: [COLLECTION
OF MOUNTED
ALBUMEN HALF
STEREO VIEWS
BY JACKSON,
BELIEVED TO
HAVE BEEN USED
AS A STUDIO
OR SALESMAN’S
CATALOGUE].
[Colorado, Utah,
Wyoming & Idaho.
ca. 1879–1885]. 742
arch-topped albumen
photographs by
Jackson, mounted
recto and verso onto
fifty-four cards, images
approximately 3¾ x 3
inches, the green paper
card mounts edged with
dark purple cloth. A few
manuscript annotations.
Very good. In a red half
morocco box.
William Henry Jackson
was one of the great 19th-century American landscape photographers, best known
for his descriptive photographs chronicling the western expansion. Jackson began his
career in photography in 1858, working as a retouching artist in a studio in Troy, New
York. In the 1860s, after serving briefly in the Union Army, he worked at several studios in Vermont before moving to Omaha, Nebraska in 1867, where he established
his own studio. He worked on an extensive series of views for the Union Pacific Railroad, which earned him enough notice to be recruited by Ferdinand Hayden for the
U.S. Geological Survey team. With the Survey, Jackson explored and photographed
vast areas of the West, including Yellowstone and parts of Colorado, Montana, Utah,
and Nevada.
It would appear that the present albums of half stereo views were assembled,
perhaps by Jackson, to serve as a trade catalogue from which stereoviews could be
ordered. Several annotations within the albums would seem to support this theory,
with some images crossed out in wax pencil and annotated in the margin with the
word “out.” We have never encountered a similar album of Jackson photographs.
$90,000.
Photography and Tobacco Come to Japan
30. [Japan]: [ORIGINAL COLORED JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINT SHOWING A MEETING
BETWEEN THE KABUKI ACTOR DANJURO IX AND THE ITALIAN PHOTOGRAPHER
ADOLFO FARSARI]. [Tokyo. 1874]. Colored woodblock print, 13¾ x 9 inches. Left edge trimmed a bit in
border. Light wrinkling. Very good, the colors bright and robust.
An attractive and vibrant colored Japanese woodblock print, showing a meeting between renowned Kabuki actor
Danjuro Ix and Italian-born photographer Adolfo Farsari. The illustration provides a striking image of a meeting
between East and West, and between western technological innovation and traditional Japanese culture. $1000.
Turn-of-the Centry Japan
31. [Japan]: [Photographs]: REMINISCENCES OF
KYUSHU [cover title]. [Various locations in Japan.
ca. 1900]. Ten leaves containing eighty photographs,
each 2¼ x 3¼ inches. Oblong octavo. Contemporary
black three-quarter morocco and cloth. Hinges and
corners lightly worn. Bookplate on front pastedown.
Light foxing, primarily to mounts and not images. Prints sharp and clear. Very good.
Eighty attractive images of turn-of-the-century Japan, as seen through a Western lens. Evidently narrating a trip in Japan, each photograph is captioned in English, usually
stating location, including Kagoshima, the Kuma River, Kumamoto, Nakatshu, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and Isahaya. While most of the images show landscapes and the scenery
of the area, many of them include local people—at temples and shrines, in city streets, going about everyday life. $2000.
Early Photographically Illustrated Guide to Yosemite
32. Kneeland, Samuel: [Hazeltine, Martin M., photographer]: THE WONDERS OF
YOSEMITE VALLEY, AND OF CALIFORNIA . . . WITH ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHIC
ILLUSTRATIONS, BY JOHN P. SOULE. . . . Boston. 1871. Ten mounted original albumen
photographs. Half title. Original blue publisher’s cloth, stamped in gilt and blind, recased in blue
cloth, portion of original spine retained. Rear cover stained, endpapers renewed. Scattered minor
browning and staining. Else very good.
A significant early guidebook to the Yosemite Valley by a professor of Zoology at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Kneeland traveled across the continent on the newly opened transcontinental railroad and returned east via Panama. The source of the photographs in this work is the subject of
some conjecture. Though John Soule is credited with the photographs on the titlepage, he apparently
never visited Yosemite. It is believed that he purchased negatives from Yosemite photographer Martin Mason Hazeltine, although some in the past have suggested Eadweard Muybridge as an alternative
attribution. $1500.
The Little Eskimo Lady
33. [Krarer, Olof]: [BROADSHEET PROGRAM AND TWO CABINET CARD PHOTOGRAPHS OF MISS OLOF KRARER, “THE LITTLE
ESQUIMAUX LADY”]. Illinois. 1890/1893. 4pp. on a folded folio sheet, accompanied by two cabinet card photographs, 6½ x 4¼ inches. Old folds, some chipping
and wear to program. About very good. Cabinet cards near fine.
Promotional items for Miss Olof Krarer, “The Little Esquimaux Lady,” an Icelandic dwarf who toured and lectured about her supposed life as a Greenland Eskimo.
Krarer (1858–1935), an Icelandic native, emigrated to the United States at the age of
nineteen. Unable to find any work beyond the circus sideshow, she reinvented herself
as a Greenland Eskimo and took to the lecture circuit, where she told outlandish (and
incorrect) tales of life as a Greenland native. $1500.
With Original Photographs of the Sierras
34. [LeConte, Joseph]: A JOURNAL OF RAMBLINGS THROUGH THE HIGH SIERRAS OF
CALIFORNIA BY THE “UNIVERSITY EXCURSION PARTY.” San Francisco. 1875. 103pp. plus nine
original mounted albumen photographs. 20th-century three-quarter morocco and blue cloth, spine gilt. Spine
sunned. Frontispiece photograph with three small stains, and the final two photographs exhibiting some
moderate fading, else quite clean internally. A very good copy.
LeConte studied with Agassiz at Harvard before going to California to serve as professor of geology, and he was
among the charter members of the Sierra Club. This work describes LeConte’s first expedition, with students of the
University, into the Sierras, and the text wonderfully conveys LeConte’s enthusiasm for the region and its natural
beauty. A beautiful book, with superb photographs depicting the range of northern California’s natural splendor.
$9000.
A Significant Album of Architectural Photographs
35. Marble, Albert P., compiler: [Massachusetts]: [Architectural Photography]: PHOTOGRAPHS OF
SCHOOL HOUSES AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS, IN WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.
Worcester. 1873. 10pp.
(printed on recto only) plus
thirty-two mounted albumen
photographs on captioned
card mounts. Small oblong
folio. Contemporary threequarter green morocco and
marbled boards, leather
label on front cover, marbled
endpapers.Very good.
Provenance: Albert Marble
(inscription on titlepage).
A rare American photographically illustrated book and a wonderful collection of Massachusetts architectural photography. The thirty-two albumen photographs depict various
schools and other public buildings in Worcester, Massachusetts in the latter half of the 19th
century, including a few floor plans. The buildings include Worcester High School, Walnut Street School, Thomas Street School, Sycamore Street School, the Worcester Public
Library, the College of Holy Cross, Antiquarian Hall, Highland Military Academy, and
many more. Unrecorded in OCLC. $2850.
Historic Photographs of the Pennsylvania Oil Regions
36. [Mather, John A.]: MATHER’S HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS. PART 1.
Titusville, Pa. 1895. Letterpress titlepage, two text leaves and twelve linen-backed
photographs bound in on stubs, as issued. Original cloth, gilt. Minor wear at spine
ends, hinges starting. Front free endpaper a bit chipped, with edges reinforced on
verso. Very good.
Edwin Laurentine Drake was the first American to drill for oil, at Oil Creek, Pennsylvania, near Titusville, in 1859. Mather quickly became fascinated by Drake and the oil
business, moved to Titusville, opened a photography gallery, and compiled an exhaustive
photographic history of the area’s oil industry over the next forty years. Collected here
are twelve photographs, the majority printed in 1895 from older negatives, and captioned
in the negatives by Mather. $4000.
Very Early Album of New Zealand Views
37. [New Zealand Photographica]: DUNEDIN 1860 [cover title]. [Dunedin,
New Zealand. ca. 1885]. Ten album cards, each with a vintage albumen photograph
mounted on recto and verso, for a total of twenty photographs. Each image measuring
8¾ x 6¾ inches. Oblong quarto. Contemporary green cloth, rebacked with original
backstrip laid down, gilt-stamped title on cover. Moderate spotting on cards, affecting
a few images. Photographs captioned on images. Very good, with small promotional
bookplate of Frank Coxhead on front pastedown reading: “We invite inspection of our
superior collection of Photo Views of the West Coast Sounds, and other Views, before
purchasing elsewhere.”
A wonderful assemblage of incredibly early New Zealand views. The images were taken
by Kiwi photographer William Meluish, whose shop can be seen in one of the views of
Princes Street. They were issued as a set after Frank Coxhead purchased the glass plates.
The images depict the port, mercantile areas, and certain residential districts. In 1861
gold was discovered in New Zealand, and the rush that followed prompted a rapid change
in the physical environment. These images provide an excellent record of this early boom
phase that vaulted Dunedin to the status of New Zealand’s leading economic center by
the end of the 19th century.
$9500.
Perhaps the Most Famous Early View of San Francisco
38. Muybridge, Eadweard: PANORAMA OF SAN FRANCISCO, FROM CALIFORNIA ST. HILL. [San Francisco]. 1877. Albumen photographic panorama
mounted on eleven panels, the entire panorama measuring a total of 7½ x 87¼ inches. Caption title, photographic credit, and publisher’s imprint printed on center
panel. Backed by cloth and folding into original gilt cloth binding. Cloth boards with some old dampstaining on lower edge. Old staining on panels below photographic
prints. The images themselves are quite clean and sharp. Very good condition. In a cloth chemise and half morocco and cloth slipcase, spine gilt.
One of the landmarks of 19th-century American photography, and an iconic image
of San Francisco, this remarkable panorama dramatically shows the growth of San
Francisco nearly thirty years after the onset of the Gold Rush. The work was done in
June or July, 1877, and took some five hours to complete. Muybridge’s view reaches
some fifty miles into the distance and encompasses a width of fifteen miles. Despite
the great scope of the work, precise details of the city are visible throughout. A high
point in the photographic representation of the West. $48,000.
Stereo Cards by Timothy O’Sullivan and William Bell on the Wheeler Survey, 1871–74
39. O’Sullivan, Timothy, and William Bell: [SET OF FIFTY STEREOSCOPIC PHOTOGRAPHIC VIEWS, TAKEN ON THE 1871–1874 EXPEDITIONS
OF THE WHEELER SURVEY, WITH SERIES TITLE ON THE VERSO OF EACH MOUNT: GEOGRAPHICAL EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS
WEST OF THE 100th MERIDIAN]. Washington. [1873–1874]. Fifty stereoscopic albumen prints (forty-two by O’Sullivan, eight by Bell), on original card mounts
(4 x 7 inches), the mounts with the series number, photographer’s name and descriptive title on the verso. Very good. In a modern dark blue morocco backed box.
A fine series of stereographic views from one of the major western surveys, Lieut. George
Wheeler’s 1871–74 investigation of the Grand Canyon, northern New Mexico, and Colorado. The photographs were taken by the famous photographer, Timothy O’Sullivan,
or his assistant, William Bell, in the course of three different seasons in the field.
They show the expedition ascending the Colorado and at work in the Canyon; scenes
at Zuni Pueblo, Canon de Chelly, and among the Navajo; among the Apache; scenes
along the Colorado, in northern New Mexico, and among the Utes; and several views
in Idaho. $12,500.
With Original Albumen Photographs
40. Poole, William F.: THE TYLER DAVIDSON FOUNTAIN. Cincinnati. 1872. [2],117pp. plus thirteen
original albumen photographs. Frontis. Quarto. Contemporary three quarter black morocco and brown cloth,
ornate gilt spine, a.e.g. Minor wear to extremities, heavier along hinges. Slight tanning and occasional foxing.
Very good.
This is one of 100 special presentation copies in this elaborate format. The work commemorates the unveiling of the
Tyler Davidson fountain in Cincinnati in 1871, which was a gift to the city by Henry Probasco, a prominent local
businessman, and named for his brother-in-law and partner, Tyler Davidson. $2850.
With Original Mounted Photographs
41. Ritzhaupt, Curt: EIN FERIEN-AUSFLUG UM DIE ERDE.
SEINEN LIEBEN WERWANDTEN UND FREUNDEN.
Leipzig. [1894]. 133pp., including sixteen full-page illustrations (nine
of them original photographs) and two folding colored maps. 12mo.
Original brown cloth, front board and spine stamped in gilt. Light
wear at corners and spine ends. Very clean internally. Near fine.
Inscribed by the author on the page facing his portrait. A rare photographically illustrated account of a trip around the world by a German
traveller. Among the photographs illustrating his travels are images
of Calcutta, the Ganges, and Bombay in India, Ceylon, Japan, Hong
Kong, Hawaii, and the Mammoth Hot Springs at Yellowstone. The
maps show the course of Ritzhaupt’s journey. Undoubtedly printed in a
small edition for private distribution. $2250.
With Some of the Earliest Photographic Images
from South Africa, with a Striking Portrait of a
Basuto Chief
42. [South Africa]: [Photography]: THE PROGRESS OF HIS ROYAL
HIGHNESS PRINCE ALFRED ERNEST ALBERT THROUGH THE
CAPE COLONY, BRITISH KAFFRARIA, THE ORANGE FREE STATE,
AND PORT NATAL, IN THE YEAR 1860. Cape Town. 1861. xii,180pp.
plus photographically illustrated titlepage and sixteen mounted albumen
photographs. Quarto. Original publisher’s cloth, stamped in gilt, rebacked with
most of original spine laid down. Corners lightly worn. Contemporary ownership
inscription on front fly leaf. Light foxing and toning, heavier in some places. Most
images clean, though one or two with some light foxing at the edges. Very good.
An early photographically illustrated book, and the first such book printed on the
African continent. The volume was made to commemorate the visit of Alfred,
Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, one of Queen Victoria’s sons. The book was
designed to showcase the colony, which had hitherto been viewed in a less than
positive light by the general British public. Photographer Joseph Kirkman was
active in South Africa from 1859 to 1870. $4500.
Stereo Cards
of Hopi Indians in Arizona
43. [Underwood and Underwood]: [Native American
Photographica]: [TWENTY-FOUR STEREO CARDS
OF HOPI INDIANS, THEIR LIVES, HOMES, AND
CEREMONIES]. New York. 1903. Twenty-four stereoscopic views,
mounted on thick gray cardstock. Many of the cards with captions
or further information on the verso. Fine. In a contemporary cloth
slipcase, spine gilt.
A very interesting group of twenty-four stereoviews of Hopi Indians in
Arizona, including images of village life, Indians making crafts, their
dwellings, and their ceremonial dances. Many of the images come from
the Hopi village at Oraibi, Arizona, and others show the ruins of cliff
dwellings at Bonito Cañon, Walnut Cañon, and the Pueblo ruins at Mishonginovi. An interesting collection of photographs documenting a Hopi existence that had already
become commercialized and fetishized, yet still retained important aspects of their culture and traditions. $1250.
An American Flagship: The U.S.S. Tennessee
44. [United States Navy]: [LETTER BOOK AND PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM
FOR THE U.S.S. TENNESSEE]. [Various places, including Japan]. 1875–1885.
133 sheets mounted on stubs; twenty-eight mounted photographs, most measuring
7 x 9¾ inches. Letter book: Folio. Original half black morocco and cloth, stamped in
blind on cover, spine gilt. Corners rubbed. Spine heavily worn and chipped, hinges
weak. Light soiling to some letters, some chipped at edges. In a very legible hand.
About very good. In a blue cloth clamshell case, leather label. Album: Oblong folio.
Original blue publisher’s cloth, stamped in gilt on cover. Boards scuffed and slightly
stained. Expertly rebacked in matching cloth. Some mounts with slight chipping at
edges. Some soiling, though photographs are generally clean. Good.
Manuscript and photographic records of the U.S.S. Tennessee, launched in July 1865.
Her duties included service as flagship of the Asiatic Squadron under Rear Admiral William Reynolds, with Captain William W. Low in command. By 1879 she was flagship
of the North Atlantic Squadron under Rear Admiral Robert W. Wyman, with Captain
David B. Harmony in command. These items pertain to both of these notable periods
of service. The photo album is dated circa 1885, when the Tennessee was flagship of the
North Atlantic Squadron. $3000.
A Huge Panorama of Venice in the 1870s
45. [Venice]: [Italian Photographica]: [EPIC
PHOTOGRAPHIC PANORAMA OF VENICE, ITALY].
[Venice. ca. 1870s]. Panoramic photograph, 11¼ x 150 inches.
Mounted on card, linen-backed in nine sections, folding
into leather slipcase stamped in gilt. Light surface dusting.
Slipcase worn and partially split. Panorama near fine.
An amazing panorama of the “Queen of the Adriatic.” Measuring over twelve feet, this striking panorama shows the southern
side of Venice as taken from the bell tower of the Chiesa del San
Giorgio Maggiore, a 16th-century Benedictine church located
just east of the barrier island of Giudecca, directly opposite San
Marco and the Doge’s Palace. The photograph shows the entire
expanse of the city, from the western end to the public gardens on the eastern extreme of the island, and depicts a bustling port city, with numerous ships running in the Venetian Lagoon. A stunning and important photographic record of one of the planet’s most romantic cities. $7500.
An American Advisor in Vietnam:
A Massive Photographic Archive
46. [Vietnam War Photographica]: Harris, Jacob Joseph:
[MASSIVE ARCHIVE OF THOUSANDS OF ORIGINAL
PHOTOGRAPHS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC SLIDES,
ALONG WITH NUMEROUS AUDIO RECORDINGS,
COMPILED BY JACOB HARRIS, AN AMERICAN WHO
SERVED AS A SENIOR POLICE ADVISOR IN VIETNAM
AND THAILAND DURING THE VIETNAM WAR].
[Vietnam, Thailand, and elsewhere in Asia, as well as the United
States, Europe, and the Middle East. ca. 1964–1974]. More than
1,700 original photographic prints and 2,000 original photographic
slides, plus fourteen audio recordings and miscellaneous
documents. Most of the slides preserved in their original Kodak
processing boxes. Some photographs loose, but most bound into
albums. On the whole, in near fine condition.
A large and remarkable archive of images from Vietnam and Thailand, covering the decade from the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the
beginning of the buildup of American forces in Vietnam to a year
before the evacuation of the American embassy. Most notable are the
many images showing the training of local security forces by American civil and military advisors. The collection was compiled by Jacob
Harris, an employee of USAID’s “Office of Public Safety” (OPS),
whose task was to train Vietnamese and Thai police and counterinsurgency forces. Most of the images were created by Harris, his wife,
or his associates, and illustrate all aspects of life in those countries
at the time. Harris travelled widely throughout the region, and the
collection includes images from not only Vietnam and Thailand, but
also from Laos, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, India, and
elsewhere. The images also document Harris’ lengthy career as a
New Jersey State Trooper and his travels in other parts of the world.
A full description is available upon request. $15,000.
Early Photographs of Saigon
47. [Vietnam Photographica]: VUES DE SAIGON [binding title]. [France.
ca. 1875]. Thirty-two mounted albumen photographs, ranging from 4½ x 6½ to
9½ x 13½ inches. Oblong small folio. Contemporary three-quarter morocco and
cloth, gilt title on front cover, spine gilt, marbled endpapers. Very good.
A rare album of early photographs of Saigon, Vietnam. The first image is a portrait
of a high-ranking military officer with Cambodian script in the lower margin. Other
subjects include eleven views of the Norodom Palace from various angles; three
views of shipping operations in the port and river; two of a large three-mast ship in
dry dock; one of a passenger river steamer; one showing hundreds of laborers working on a canal; two are captioned Convent de Carmelites; and the remainder show
various scenes around the city. The album lacks photographer credits save for the
photographs of the palace, with “Jugant” signed in the negative, likely the French
military photographer M. Jugant who was working in Saigon at the time. $7500.
The Russian Window on the Pacific
48. [Vladivostok]: [EARLY 20th-CENTURY PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM,
CONSISTING OF TWENTY-FOUR PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN IN
VLADIVOSTOK CIRCA JUNE 1900, EACH WITH CONTEMPORARY
HANDWRITTEN ANNOTATIONS IN GERMAN]. [Vladivostok. 1900].
Twenty-four photographs (3½ x 4½ inches each), each print matted on heavy
paper of commercial photograph album. Early 20th-century German photograph
album with textured paper boards and spine. Front board decoratively embossed
with image of a flower and the words, “Moderne Lichtbildere.” Top and bottom of
spine, edges of boards, and outer joints moderately worn. Mounts separating, but
very good. Images very clean overall and in very good condition.
Includes views of the port, Russian naval ships and numerous other vessels, the city
center, the post office, street scenes, buildings and houses (including a German brewery), and pictures of everyday life. Due to its location in the Russian Far East on the
coast of the Sea of Japan and near both the Chinese and Korean borders, Vladivostok
was a settlement with numerous international residents and visitors, and this heterogeneity is recorded in this album. Half of the photographs are of people, including
images of Russians, Chinese, and Koreans. $2000.
Important Collection of Watkins Stereoviews of Yosemite
49. Watkins, Carleton E.: [COLLECTION OF FIFTY-SIX STEREOSCOPIC PHOTOGRAPHIC VIEWS FROM WATKINS’ PACIFIC COAST SERIES,
PRINCIPALLY DEPICTING SCENES IN YOSEMITE]. San Francisco. 1867 [copyright date]. Fifty-six stereoscopic albumen prints by Watkins, on original yellow
card mounts (3¼ x 6¾ inches), with his 429 Montgomery Street address. Very good. In a modern half morocco and cloth box.
Carleton Watkins was one of the finest 19th-century landscape photographers.
The magnificence of the Yosemite Valley was unknown to settlers until 1849 and it
remained so until Watkins brought photographic images of its extraordinary beauty
to the public. Watkins’ vistas of a serene and underpopulated land demonstrated the
ideal harmony between man and nature. These photographs helped clinch the notion
that Yosemite was a relic of Eden in North America. $12,000.
Cruising the Caribees, and Quasi-Published
50. [West Indies Photographica]: THE WEST INDIES AND PANAMA MARCH AND
APRIL, 1913. [Various Caribbean locations. March and April, 1913]. Title leaf and sixty-six silver
gelatin photographs, all approx. 3¼ x 5½, with printed captions mounted near photos, and occasional
sectional titles with explanatory text. Full brown leather, string-bound. Minor edge wear. Internally
clean, with photos in excellent condition. Very good.
A delightful and well-produced souvenir photograph album of a 1913 vacation cruise through the Caribbean, compiled by Mr. and Mrs. John Joseph Donovan, and presented to their daughter Geraldine Goodheart Donovan on the title leaf. In a printed note titled “Our Trip” mounted to the verso of the titlepage,
the Donovans explain that “these notes and pictures of our trip to Panama, the West Indies and Caracas are prepared as a souvenir for a few personal friends and relatives.” The photographs are arranged
according to each location they visited, with each section beginning with a short printed commentary by
them. $2250.
A Mining Career in Mexico, Alaska, and Oregon,
with Exceptional Photographs of Inuit Peoples
near Nome
51. Wyatt, James S.: [PHOTO ALBUM CONTAINING 188 PHOTOS
DOCUMENTING THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S MINING CAREER IN
MEXICO, ALASKA, THE KLONDIKE, AND OREGON]. [Sausalito,
Ca. 1905–1906]. Twenty-six leaves containing 188 silver gelatin photographs,
captioned in pencil. Final four leaves laid in from another album. Oblong
quarto. Original black cloth covers, black leaves. Some silver-mirroring,
particularly to first few images. Some light wear to album, but images generally
clean. Very good.
This exceptional vernacular photo album records the mining career of James
Strauder Wyatt (1874–1953), who was an Oregon native and a descendant of a pioneer family which had traveled the Oregon Trail to settle in the Willamette Valley.
It encompasses Wyatt’s time at his mine in Monterde, Mexico; in Nome, Alaska; a
dogsled trip from Dawson to Fairbanks; and mining activities in Wallowa County,
Oregon. A nice vernacular album full of mining images, as well as many images of
native peoples in the areas visited. $5000.
A Great Monument of American Photography
52. Gardner, Alexander: GARDNER’S PHOTOGRAPHIC SKETCH BOOK OF THE WAR. Washington. [1866]. Two volumes. [53]; [53]pp. of text. Mounted
on guards throughout, tinted lithographic titles with lettering within integral pictorial borders. 100 original albumen silver print photographs (each approximately 7
x 9 inches), each mounted on card within a lithographed frame with letterpress caption, each image accompanied by a page of letterpress description. Oblong folio.
Original publisher’s black morocco, gilt, spines gilt, a.e.g. Expert repairs at joints. Very good.
Perhaps the most famous American photographically illustrated book, Gardner’s Photographic Sketchbook of the War contains 100 large format albumen
photographs of some of the most graphic scenes of
the Civil War. The photographs form an unequaled
pictorial record of the war, spanning the length of
the conflict, from the aftermath of action at Centerville and Manassas in 1862, to the dedication of the
monument at Bull Run in June 1865. Gardner and
his staff of photographers grimly documented the
terrain of the battles (Bull Run, Manassas, Harpers
Ferry, Gettysburg, etc.), encampments, headquarters of the troops, officers and enlisted men, soldiers
in drill formation and in the field under fire, and the
ruins and dead soldiers left in the countryside after
the battles. A legendary photographically illustrated
book, with some of the most graphic scenes of the
Civil War, and one of the most important American
books. $200,000.
Full descriptions of these items may be viewed
on our website or obtained on request.
Our most recent catalogues include 333: Americana—Beginnings, 334: Recent Acquisitions in Americana and 335: Literature and Book Arts.
These catalogues and others, as well as more items from our inventory, may be viewed on our website at www.williamreesecompany.com.