Anders - Two photographs of Egyptian costume types

TITLE Two photographs of Egyptian costume types, attributed to Zangaki, c.1880s SUMMARY Two albumen photographs of costume studies made in Egypt for the commercial souvenir trade, circa 1880s. No. 1 shows two men posed outdoors before a mashrabiya screen, wearing dress consistent with that of the sais, the running footmen of Cairo. No. 2 is a studio composition of two young women with a flute and a frame drum, with the negative number 268 visible in the image. Both photographs are attributed to the studio of the Zangaki brothers. DESCRIPTION The two photographs share a similar format and mounting. Each is a large-format albumen print laid down on a larger cream card mount, and each depicts figures in local dress posed for the commercial market. No. 1 shows two men standing full-length and barefoot in front of a projecting mashrabiya window bay of turned-wood lattice. A mud-brick wall with a pointed-arch doorway is to the right, and a patterned textile is at the left edge. Overhanging branches are visible at the upper right. Both men wear felt skullcaps, embroidered waistcoats with braided frogging and rows of small buttons over full white sleeves, broad twisted sashes with tasselled cords, and knee-length white drawers. Each holds a long staff. The man at left holds a white cloth in his raised right hand and rests his left hand on his hip. A long dark tassel hangs from the cap of the man at right. Wooden pattens stand on the ground behind them. The costume, staffs and bare feet correspond to the dress of the sais, who ran ahead of carriages to clear the way. There is no visible number or signature on the recto. No. 2 shows two young women in a studio setting before a painted landscape backdrop. The set includes a rustic wooden fence, artificial rocks, moss on the floor and a potted palm on a wire plant stand at right. The standing woman at left plays a small transverse flute. She wears a striped headscarf, several bead necklaces, a fringed blouse, and a striped wrap edged with pompom fringe over a floral-patterned skirt. She also wears wide trousers and embroidered slippers. The seated woman at right holds a frame drum with jingles. She wears a dark head veil, a patterned long-sleeved dress and a draped wrap, with rings on several fingers, and she is barefoot. The negative number '268' appears in white script at the lower right of the image (recto). PHOTOGRAPHER Attributed to Zangaki (Constantin and Georges Zangaki), Port Said and Cairo PERIOD Circa 1880s TECHNIQUE Albumen silver prints, each mounted on a larger card COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Egypt (Khedivate of Egypt) DIMENSIONS Image: 27.2 × 21.7 cm each; mounted on larger card CONDITION Both prints have an even, warm tone with good retention of detail in the costumes and architecture. Scattered dark specks across both images are printed in from flaws in the original negatives. No. 1 has small brown foxing spots on the white sleeves, mainly at the upper left shoulder. There are darker irregular marks at the upper and lower right corners from the edge of the negative. No. 2 has light spotting in the sky area of the backdrop and a faint fine vertical line in the lower left of the image. Both mounts show light toning, soiling and wear to the edges and corners, with a small chip at the upper right corner of the mount of no. 1. No tears or significant losses to the images. KEYWORDS Egypt, Cairo, albumen print, Zangaki, costume study, sais, musicians, orientalist photography, 19th century, c.1880s

Estimación:€150

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