James Robertson | Five photographs of Constantinople, early 1850s

James Robertson

Five photographs of Constantinople, early 1850s

5 SALTED PAPER PRINTS (each approximately 310 x 260mm., or the reverse), of which 4 signed in the negative by Robertson, each on a contemporary card mount, some with manuscript captions on the mount, some fading and minor wear

RARE EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE MAJOR MONUMENTS OF CONSTANTINOPLE.

The Athenaeum in their review of December 1853 described Robertson’s views as being "of the highest beauty and interest". Robertson settled in the city in 1841 and spent forty years as a master engraver in the Imperial Mint. In the early 1850s he learned the art of photography, and by July 1853 he was selling his views to the public. His photographs, which appeared in exhibitions in London and Paris, were widely known through the engravings made from them for illustrated newspapers.

The photographs show: 1. A view of Hagia Sophia; 2. The Fountain of Sultan Mahmoud; 3. The Bosphorus, Tophane etc. from Seraskier (Beyazit) Tower; 4. Constantinople from Seraskier (Beyazit) Tower; and 5. The fountain at Yeni Cami (the 'New Mosque').