Los 4074

World Travel Album
Views of various countries and portraits including from Jerusalem, Sumatra, Siak, Bangkok, Canton, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Amoy, Kiang, Nagasaki, Yokohama, Hiogo, Peru

Abgabe von Vorgeboten möglich

Photographers: Sylvester Dutton and Vincent Michaels (1824-1866, c. 1832-1864), Felice Beato (1832-1909), Shimooka Renjo (1823-1914), Ueno Hikoma (1838-1904), August Sachtler (c.1839-1873), Gustav Lambert (1846-1907) and others. Views of various countries such as Dutch India, China, Japan, Arabia and Peru. Circa 112 albumen prints. Various sizes between circa 6 x 8,5 cm, 22 x 26,5 cm and 24 x 34 cm. One print with photographer's name in lower edge in the negative, mounted to album boards (some foxing, time-staining), some annotated in German by Schmedes (?) in ink on album boards, bound in brown velvet album (some rubbed spots, back cover rubbed) with cut-out title "ALBUM" on blue paper background on front cover.

This rare and comprehensive album was compiled circa 1872 by German photographer and businessman Wilhelm Schmedes, who was working as an assistant at the Woodbury & Page studio in Batavia (present-day Jakarta) at the time. The album contains Schmedes’ handwritten notes indicating that the photographs were taken between 1869-1872. It is likely that Schmedes purchased these images from one of the officers of the Hertha when the vessel docked in Sumatra, as suggested by the inclusion of a portrait of the Sultan of Siak.
The collection comprises approximately 112 albumen prints, many dating from the 1860s, gathered during the voyage. It includes a large photograph of the Hertha’s crew and rare, large-format images from various destinations such as Plymouth, Bangkok, Canton, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Amoy, Nagasaki, Yokohama, and Lima. Notably, the album features very large portraits of the Sultan and Princess of Siak, as well as numerous carte-de-visite portraits of various indigenous peoples.
We extend our thanks to Joachim K. Bautze for attributing some of the Asian portraits in this album to August Sachtler and/or Gustav Lambert, and to Sebastian Dobson for identifying several Japanese views and carte-de-visite photographs. – Some prints faded, especially in edges, some with creases, buckling, a few with spots, many with strong contrasts and in good to very good condition.