Important presentation copy of a very rare work on Egypt, illustrated with 102 albumen prints by Henry Cammas (1813-1888), one of the pioneers of Egyptian photography. The present copy was inscribed by Cammas as a gift for his friend and mentor, the famous Orientalist Koenig Bey (1802-1865). It includes more albumen prints than almost any other known copy.
Together with his wife and his friend, the anthropologist André Lefèvre (1834-1904), Cammas spent nine months in Egypt in 1860. He lived on a boat on the Nile and photographed sites along the banks. "Although he was still using the waxed-paper negatives, Cammas' photographs are extremely sharp and show a wealth of detail. He most probably used this system - even though it was becoming obsolete - because of its light weight and easy handling, compared to the glass plate" (Perez). Cammas brought around 200 large negatives back to France and exhibited them on many occasions throughout the 1860s. "Widely acclaimed even eighteen years later, his photographs were still mentioned in connection with the scientific applications of photography" (Perez).
The present work is an account of the trip. It includes Cammas' photographs, which depict, among other things, Alexandria, Cairo, Giza, the Pyramid of Khufu and the Sphinx of Thutmose, Karnak, Luxor, Silsilis, Elephantine Island, Taphis, Kardassi, Dakkeh, Maharakka, Amada, Abu Simbel, and plans of many of the monuments. The accompanying text was written by Lefèvre, and includes detailed information about daily life during their travels, Egyptian monuments, and practical advice for other photographers and travellers. The work was published in 1862 in two different editions, namely a one-volume large octavo, and a two-volume small octavo. Included here is the large octavo. It has an unusually large amount of photographs, as other copies we have been able to trace include either 81, 87, or 94 plates, although the Royal Library in Sweden appears to hold a copy with 104. It is unclear whether these are the small or large octavo editions.
Mathieu Auguste Koenig, later known as Koenig Bey, was born in France, but left to travel through the Middle East when he was just 18. He settled in Cairo in 1827 to teach French, and was appointed tutor to the children of Muhammed Ali (1769-1848), the viceroy of Egypt, in 1834. Soon afterwards he was awarded the title Bey and was put in charge of the Translation Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When Cammas and Lefèvre came to Egypt, Koenig Bey had become an important and influential figure due to his position in the Egyptian court as the private secretary to Muhammad Said Pasha (1822-1863), the next viceroy of Egypt, to whom the present work is dedicated.
With an inscription from the author on the half title ("Hommage, Respectueux et reconnaissant à son excellence König Bey / Henry Cammas, le 17 avril 1863"). The edges and corners of the boards are slightly scuffed, the front joint has been professionally restored. The work is slightly foxed throughout, especially the tissue paper guards, the plates have somewhat browned. Otherwise in good condition. Hannavy, J., Encyclopedia of 19th-century photography, vol. 1, p. 261; Perez, N. N., Focus East: early photography in the Near East 1839-1885, p. 146; WorldCat 848116703, 763782545, 1254641331, 1449158299 (16 copies).