In Arab Lands – The Bonfils Collection of the Uiversity of Pennsylvania Museum – A luxurious portfolio of photographs from the works of the greatest photographer of the East in the 19th century, Félix Bonfils. Introduction by Douglas M. Haller. Published by Zeitouna Press – Cairo, 1999 – First edition.
A luxurious photo album featuring the works of Félix Bonfils in the Near East, housed in a special case. The album contains 54 large full-page photographs (38×30 cm) in color and black and white, depicting people, landscapes, and sites in the Land of Israel and the Near East, photographed by Bonfils — some reproduced here from the original negatives. Each photograph is described at the beginning of the album, including its origin and the date it was taken. From street scenes to portraits, landscapes to architectural studies: Ottoman Syria, the Land of Israel, and Egypt in the second half of the 19th century. Among the photographs featured are: the Western Wall (described as “the Jews’ Wailing Place”), the Tomb of Absalom, the dance of the Almeh, Hassan Pasha Mosque, Jaffa Gate, the Temple Mount, Hebron, landscapes and people in Lebanon, sites and people in Damascus, and more. The album opens with an extensive introduction by Douglas Haller about Félix Bonfils — his life, his work in photography, and the historical significance of his photographs.
54 pages. Album size: 43×30 cm. Original black cardboard case with a mounted photograph on the case, as well as on the album itself. 41x31x4 cm. Thick, clean paper — a copy in excellent condition.
