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Hammerschmidt, Wilhelm
(1822-1887)Views of Egypt

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Views of Egypt. 1860s. 2 albumen prints mounted to board (corners bumped, time-stained in edges). Each circa 24 x 31 cm (38 x 45 cm). Signed and numbered by the photographer in the negative in lower left corner; with title printed below the image on the mount.

Born in Berlin, Wilhelm Hammerschmidt was an established professional photographer, when he relocated to Cairo circa 1860. There, he founded the Hammerschmidt shop, a photographic studio and supply store that quickly became a hub for both local and visiting photographers. In 1861, he exhibited ten views of Egypt at the Société Française de Photographie in Paris, and became a member the following year. Hammerschmidt specialized in architectural views, costume portraits, and ethnographic studies, which he presented to international audiences, notably at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, in 1867. In addition to his extensive work in Egypt, he also photographed in Syria and Nubia. The photographs in this group include a striking view of the Nile cataracts near Aswan and the Tomb of the Califs on the outskirts of Cairo. – Some scuff marks, some fading in edges as well as traces of silver mirroring in shadow areas, otherwise in very good condition.