Sebah P Ascal (7 results)

14 albumen prints, mainly ca. 350 x 270 mm, but including two smaller prints (ca 200 x 260 mm) on a single board. Boards gilt on 3 sides (535 x 355 mm). A set of large photographs by Béchard and Sébah, showing Egyptian monuments and landscapes, the Tombs of the Kings in Thebes, views of Philae, the Nile cataracts, etc. Captioned on the backing boards in a contemporary English hand. - Pascal Sébah (1823-86), a leading photographer of the Middle East, was renowned for his well-judged compositions and for the excellent print quality achieved by his technician A. Laroche. His studio, founded in 1857, was continued under his brother Cosimo and his son Jean. - Béchard was active between 1869 and ca. 1890. "His work is distinguished by the superb quality of his prints and the generally spectacular presentation of even the most common sites, such as the pyramids" (Nissan N. Perez). - Dampstained, soiled and faded; some edge flaws to boards.

Large folio (ca 35 x 47 cm). An album of 87 albumen photographs, mostly ca 36 x 26 cm to 26 x 20 cm, of which 17 show Egyptian locations. Mounted on cardboard leaves, bound in heavy, relief-stamped full calf. White moirée endpapers. All edges gilt. Among the Egyptian images (mostly unsigned, but several by Pascal Sébah and another by Antoine Beato) are a plan of the Suez Canal (with several inset images), Pompey's Column, the obelisk now known as "Cleopatra's Needle" (in New York City's Central Park), the Heliopolis Obelisk, the ruins of the ancient town of Hermonthis (Armant), the Sphinx, the Great Pyramid, a palm grove near Giza, groups of Arab men and women, street scenes, a panoramic view of Cairo, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, etc. Loosely inserted are a large (19 x 28 cm) portrait of an Arab warrior in Bedouin costume and a composite photo of eight portraits of Arab men and women in various types of local costume, with a handwritten note by the owner: "Bought at Port Said July 1876". The remainder of the photos of this fine souvenir album shows views and sights in Naples, Pompeii, Capri, Salerno, Rome, Venice, Genoa, Florence, and Pisa. - Binding rubbed and bumped, but a well-preserved set.

9 albumen prints (approx. 340 x 260 mm), each mounted on backing cardboard (ca. 400 x 330 mm). Three edges gilt. A fine set of nine albumen images of Egyptian sights and views, including Karnak, ships on the Nile, the Aswan cataract, the Temple of Edfu, murals at the Sanctuary at Karnak, camel drivers on the Sinai, etc. Pascal Sébah (1823-86), a leading photographer of the Middle East, was renowned for his well-judged compositions and for the excellent print quality achieved by his technician A. Laroche. His studio, founded in 1857, was continued under his brother Cosimo and his son Jean. A single image in this series is not by Sebah: a view of the island of Philae (near the First Cataract of the Nile) is signed "A. Beato" in a shaded portion of the image, identifiying this as the work of Antonio (Antoine) Beato (after 1832-1906), a British and Italian photographer noted for his genre works, portraits, views of the architecture and landscapes of Egypt and the other locations in the Mediterranean region. - Slight fading; well preserved.

Albumen print. Good rich print and interesting subject. Photographer's number, title and credit in negative; Dimensions: 258 x 196mm. (10 x 7.5 inches). Jean Pascal Sebah (1838-1910) was active from around 1856-1900. Owner of a large photographic studio in Constantinople, he eventually entered into partnership with Joaillier. Sebah photographed Egypt extensively, staging many oriental genre scenes. His photographs were often used in the illustration of scientific orientalist books.

Albumen print. Very good rich tones in good overall condition. Studio portrait of an Egyptian soldier with crisp attractive details. Numbered and titled in negative; Dimensions: 260 x 190mm. (10 x 7 inches).

Albumen print. Fair tonal range and in good condition, pasted on original mount.

4to (295 x 235 mm). 50 photographs of Egypt (albumen prints and cyanotypes), and approximately 40 albumen prints of Switzerland. Impressively presented series of original photographs taken at various important sites and cities in Egypt, including Giza, Thebes, Karnak, Luxor, Abydos, Esna etc. The photographs show archaeological sites like the temple of Seti I at Abydos, the precinct of Ahmen-Rah near Luxor, the avenue of Sphinxes at Karnak, the Ramesseum and the Colossi at Thebes, the temple of Khnum at Esna, the Sphinx and pyramids of Giza and many more. Other photographs show the local population, doing a wide variety of activities, such as catching crocodiles on the nile, a Luxor barber shaving the head of a sailor, or a Bedouin camp in the Libyan Desert. - The Istanbul-based Sebah studio catered to the Western European interest in the exotic "Orient" and the growing numbers of tourists visiting the Muslim world who wished to take home images of the city, ancient ruins in the surrounding area, portraits, and local people in traditional costumes. "Sebah rose to prominence because of his well-organized compositions, careful lighting, effective posing, attractive models, great attention to detail, and for the excellent print quality" (Gary Saretzky, Photo history). Jean Sebah (1876-1947) took over the studio from his father Pascal after his death and signed his productions "J. P. Sebah" on the negative, putting his initial in front of his father's. - Some spotting and fading.