Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This group portrait shows a merchant, likely a Meccan, described in the title as the representative of the Grand Scharīf, and his Circassian slave.Both men wear embroidered or printed robes; while the man on the left’s outer robe is made of plain cloth, the merchant’s outer robe is made of material printed with a recurring, perhaps floral pattern and what appear to be embroidered lapels. He carries a string of beads in his right hand and wears a light-coloured turban. The man described as a slave wears a fez.The negative has had hand-work applied, causing it to take on a soft-shaded quality in places, particularly in the face of the merchant. The original background has been substituted completely.Temporal ContextThe photograph was taken between March 1886 and February 1887, according to Durkje van der Wal in his publication
Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje: The First Western Photographer in Mecca, 1884-1885, Amsterdam : Manfred & Hanna Heiting Fund, Rijksmuseum, 2011, p. 36. This attribution is based on unpublished correspondence in the Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje Archive, University of Leiden Library.Inscriptions:Printed above image, in ink:XIPrinted beneath image, in ink:‘Vornehmer Kaufmann (Bevollmächtigter des Grossscherifs) mit seinem cirkassischen Sklaven.’A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the lower right corner.Physical description: Dimensions:249 x 185 mmFormat:1 collotype printCondition:The print is in good condition.Foliation:‘XI’
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This group portrait shows an Indian merchant and three Turkish officials as well as a young boy. The title notes that the Indian merchant is ‘distinguished’ or ‘noble’.While two of the men – seated at left and standing at left – each wear a janbiya at their waist under their outer robes, the man seated second from right holds a sword in its scabbard.The negative has had hand-work applied, causing it to take on a soft-shaded quality in places. In particular the original background has been substituted completely, aside from elements of the rug on which they are standing and seated.Inscriptions:Printed above image, in ink:XPrinted beneath image, in ink:‘Vornehmer indischer Kaufmann und türkische Beamte in Mekka.’A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the lower right corner.Physical description: Dimensions:183 x 247 mmFormat:1 collotype printCondition:The print is in good condition.Foliation:‘X’
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This full length seated portrait of two men shows two traders, from Mecca and Jeddah. Both face forward, looking towards the camera.The man on the left wears a medium-tone outer robe over a striped robe with a white turban. The man on the right wears a white outer robe over a buttoned inner jacket and a white turban.The two men are seated in what appears to be a courtyard space, with plants visible behind them.The negative has had hand-work applied, causing it to take on a soft-shaded quality in places. In particular, the part of the face of the man on the right that is shaded has been reinscribed.Inscriptions:Printed above image, in ink:XVPrinted beneath image, in ink:'Kaufleute (Mekka und Djiddah)'.A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the lower right corner.Physical description: Dimensions:128 x 90 mmFormat:1 collotype printCondition:The print is in good condition.Foliation:‘XV’
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This full-length seated portrait shows a bearded Indian pilgrim. He sits face forward, looking towards the camera.The man wears a full-length dark-coloured robe with a white undershirt visible on the left-hand side of his chest. He wears a light-coloured patterned skull cap and holds a walking stick in his clasped hands.The man is photographed in a courtyard-like space with foliage and a window, fronted by bars, visible in the background.Inscriptions:Printed above image, in ink:XXIIPrinted beneath image, in ink:‘Indischer Pilger.’A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the lower left corner.Physical description: Dimensions:138 x 97 mmFormat:1 collotype printCondition:The print is in good condition.Foliation:‘XXII’
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This full-length seated portrait shows a woman, described as a [Muslim] pilgrim from Banten, the westernmost province on the island of Java. She sits face forward, looking towards the camera.The woman is dressed in white hijab, which covers her from head to foot. Her head piece is particularly wide and is shaped like an inverse-boat. On her feet she wears embellished slippers and she appears to be holding a printed cloth or handkerchief in her left hand.The negative has had hand-work applied, causing it to take on a soft-shaded quality in places. In particular, the background has been substituted completely, and the ground to the right of her leg seems to be entirely reinscribed.Temporal Context:The photograph was taken between 7 and 17 November 1884, according to Durkje van der Wal in his publication Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje: The First Western Photographer in Mecca, 1884-1885, Amsterdam : Manfred & Hanna Heiting Fund, Rijksmuseum, 2011, p. 36. This attribution is based on unpublished diaries and correspondence in the Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje Archive, University of Leiden Library.Inscriptions:Printed above image, in ink:XIXPrinted beneath image, in ink:‘Pilgerin aus Banten (Java).’A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the right left corner.Physical description: Dimensions:139 x 98 mmFormat:1 collotype printCondition:The print is in good condition.Foliation:‘XIX’
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This full-length seated portrait shows two [Muslim] Buginese pilgrims from Sulawesi, an island in Indonesia formerly known as Celebes.The man on the right wears a mid-coloured robe or jacket and sarong, which may be a form of teluk beskap, over an embroidered waistcoat. He wears a printed turban on his head and sandals on his feet. The man on the left wears a jacket and checked sarong, which may be a teluk beskap, as well as a turban on his head.The two men are seated on chairs in a courtyard-like space with foliage visible in the background.Inscriptions:Printed above image, in ink:XIXPrinted beneath image, in ink:‘Buginesische Pilger (Celébes).’A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the lower right corner.Physical description: 1 collotype print
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This full-length portrait shows four pilgrims from Aceh, Indonesia with two ‘wakeels’, presumably the men standing in the background. They all face forward, looking towards the camera.The man on the right wears a white open shirt, dark-coloured trousers, sandals and a dark coloured fez-like hat. The standing man second from right wears a white turban and
thawbwith a sash at his waist, a mid-coloured waistcoat and a shawl slung over his left shoulder. The seated man third from right wears a striped waistcoat over a white
thawb, checked trousers and a white shawl slung over his left shoulder. The seated man third from left wears a white shirt, dark-coloured trousers and a white turban. The standing man second from left wears a white
thawb, turban and patterned waistcoat. The man at left wears a white
thawb, dark-coloured waistcoat, checked shawl and mid-coloured turban.The men are photographed in a courtyard-like space with plants – some in wide wooden pots and barrels – foliage and a window, fronted by bars, visible in the background.The negative has had hand-work applied, causing it to take on a soft-shaded paint-like quality in places.Inscriptions:Printed above image, in ink:XXXVIPrinted beneath image, in ink:‘Pilger aus Gross-Atjeh mit zwei „Wakil’s.“’A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the lower left corner.Physical description: Dimensions:188 x 235 mmFormat:1 collotype printCondition:The print is in good condition.Foliation:‘XXXVI’
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This full-length portrait shows five pilgrims from Ambon, the Kei (Kai) Islands and Banda (perhaps in Aceh province) in Indonesia as well as a Meccan woman. The men face forward, looking towards the camera, while the woman averts her eyes.From right to left the men wear: a white
thawb, dark waistcoat with a metal hoop hanging from the right side and patterned turban; a white turban, dark jacket and white
thawbover checked sarong; a white
thawbover white trousers and dark turban; a white
thawbover white trousers and patterned turban; a white jacket over a checked sarong and white trousers. The man to the far left, the man second from right and the man third from right hold pieces of paper or booklets in their hands. The man second from left holds a scroll in his left hand as well as a dark-coloured umbrella. The man second from right, too, holds a dark umbrella.The Meccan woman wears a mid-coloured dress, perhaps of silk, with white decorative cuffs, with a white striped waistcoat over it and a patterned turban. The waistcoat appears to have two metal hoops on either side of her waist sewn into it. On her feet she wears shoes. The group are photographed in a courtyard-like space with plants – some in wide wooden pots – foliage and a window, fronted by bars, visible in the background.The negative has had hand-work applied, causing it to take on a soft-shaded paint-like quality in places.Inscriptions:Printed above image, in ink:XXXPrinted beneath image, in ink:'Pilger aus Ambon, Kei und Banda. links der Sohn eines Ambonesen mit einer Mekkanerin.’A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the lower left corner.Physical description: Dimensions:196 x 247 mmFormat:1 collotype printCondition:The print is in good condition.Foliation:‘XXX’
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This full-length seated portrait shows two men, described as pilgrims from Edi (Idi Rayeuk, a town in Aceh Province, Indonesia). They are seated face forward, looking towards the camera.The man on the right wears light-coloured trousers, a sleeveless embroidered shirt, open at the neck, a striped turban and sandals. He holds another piece of striped cloth across his lap. The man on the left wears a pale-coloured shirt, sleeves rolled up at the elbows, over mid-coloured trouasers and a dark-coloured skull cap. The two men sit on foldable chairs.The negative has had hand-work applied, causing it to take on a soft-shaded paint-like quality in places. In particular the original background has been substituted completely, except for the ground on which their chairs stand.Inscriptions:Printed above image, in ink:XXIIIPrinted beneath image, in ink:‘Pilger aus Edi. (Nord- Sumátra.)’A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the lower right corner.Physical description: Dimensions:139 x 103 mmFormat:1 collotype printCondition:The print is in good condition.Foliation:‘XXIII’
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This full-length seated portrait shows three pilgrims from Bahrain, as well as a sheikh from Kabul in Afghanistan. They sit face forward, looking towards the camera, except for the man on the right, who faces slightly to his left and sits on a folding metal chair.The man on the right is dressed in an outer robe over a pale-coloured
thawb, a dark-coloured headdress and leather shoes. The moustached man at centre, identified as the sheikh from Kabul, wears a dark-coloured outer robe over a white shirt held by a sash at the waist, a white turban and sandals. The man on the left wears a mid-coloured outer robe about his shoulders and knees, a pale-coloured
thawbor shirt and a patterned headdress/turban. He appears to be blind or partially sighted in his left eye.The three men are photographed in a courtyard-like space with foliage visible in the background.The negative has had hand-work applied, causing it to take on a soft-shaded quality in places, in particular, the shirt of the man at centre.Inscriptions:Printed above image, in ink:XXPrinted beneath image, in ink:‘Pilger aus Baẖrain; in der Mitte ein Schēch aus Kabul.’A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the lower right corner.Physical description: Dimensions:104 x 138 mmFormat:1 collotype printCondition:The print is in good condition.Foliation:‘XX’
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This full-length seated portrait shows three pilgrims from Baçrah (latterly Basra or Basrah), in modern-day Iraq. They sit facing the camera.The man on the right is dressed in a vertically striped robe with a sash at his waist and a turban of printed material on his head. The man in the middle wears a predominantly white checked robe with a mid-coloured outer robe open over it, a sash at his waist and a printed turban on his head. He holds a pen-shaped object in his right hand. The man on the left wears a dark-outer robe over several other layers of clothing. His head is covered by a keffiyeh (or ghutrah) held in place by an
agalmade of twisted cloth. In his left hand the man holds a pen-shaped object, spherically shaped at one end.The three men are photographed in a courtyard-like space with foliage visible in the background.Inscriptions:Printed above image, in ink:XXPrinted beneath image, in ink:‘Pilger aus Baçrah.’A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the lower left corner.Physical description: Dimensions:103 x 138 mmFormat:1 collotype printCondition:The print is in good condition.Foliation:‘XX’
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This full-length seated portrait shows a bearded man, described as a pilgrim from Morocco. He sits face forward, looking towards the camera.The man wears a full-length white robe held at the waist with a dark sash, a white turban and shoes.The negative has had hand-work applied, causing the image to take on a soft-shaded paint-like quality in places. In particular the original background has been substituted completely.Inscriptions:Printed above image, in ink:XXIIPrinted beneath image, in ink:‘Pilger aus Marokko.’A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the lower right corner.Physical description: Dimensions:139 x 98 mmFormat:1 collotype printCondition:The print is in good condition.Foliation:‘XXII’