Impressively presented series of original photographs taken at various important sites and cities in Egypt, including Giza, Thebes, Karnak, Luxor, Abydos, Esna and others. They 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, engaged in a wide variety of activities, such as catching crocodiles on the nile, a Luxor barber shaving the head of a sailor, or life in 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 Islamic 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" (Saretzky). When Pascal Sébah (1823-1886) died, his son Jean Sébah (1876-1947) took over the studio and signed his productions "J. P. Sebah" on the negative, putting his initial in front of his fathers.
Some spotting and fading, binding worn. Otherwise in good condition. Cf. for Sébah: Saretzky, Photo history.