1920s Photo Album of Grand Tour Through the Mediterranean and Middle East : France, Italy, Greece, Egypt,Turkey, and British Palestine

Vintage Photo Album of 93 black and white silver gelatin photographs and four real photo postcards showing a 1927 group trip through France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, British Palestine, and Egypt. Photos measure between 2.5"x4" and 3.5"x5.5" with the exception of one large group photo measuring approx. 9"x7". Photos are mounted on sturdy black album boards with captions handwritten in white pencil and tissue paper sheets separating each page to preserve the images. String bound in lovely cloth boards with a bright flower pattern. The album follows a group of friends on a three week journey throughout southern Europe and the Middle East, beginning in Avignon, (truncated) France and ending in Luxor, Egypt. Photographs show cityscapes and architecture around Avignon including St. Pierre's Church and the Popes' Palace before the group proceeds to Italy, landscape shots of Naples and images of the ruins of Pompeii, and some shots of the group on a ship captioned the S.S. Adriatic. The following page has shots from Athens, including the Parthenon and the Temple of Diana, as well as an earlier picture of one of their party in Nice, France. The group then moves on to Turkey, enclosing four real photo postcards from Constantinople just five years after the fall of the Ottoman Empire and before the city was officially renamed Istanbul in 1930. Images show the city's harbor, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, and the Hagia Sophia. One postcard loose and handwritten caption and date as well as a purple Arabic stamp can be seen on verso. The group moves south to Palestine, which was then under British Mandate. Images show local people and and street scenes in Nazareth, such as one captioned "A Jewish Maiden" showing a woman in beautiful traditional clothing and headdress. Shots of Jerusalem show Holy Sites including the River Jordan, the Wailing Wall and the Gardens of Gethsemane. The album concludes in Egypt, with beautiful images of archeological sites and local people across Thebes, Memphis, Cairo, and Luxor - the Obelisk of Hatshepsut, Edfu Temple, the tomb of Amenhotep II, the Colossi of Memnon, the Pyramids, and the Great Sphinx. The final page shows the group sitting on camels with the Great Sphinx and Pyramid of Giza in the background, names written in caption below. Overall very good condition. A fascinating album with many images of astounding ancient architecture in the midst of rapid global change between the Edwardian Era and World War II. (Inventory #: 20831)