Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1624

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

.3 linear feet

Language:

English, French, and Italian

Preferred Citation:

Holy Land scrapbook, 1850-1898, Ms. Coll. 1624, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1850-1860s, 1898 (inclusive)

Form:

Photographs, Scrapbooks, Maps, and Architectural drawings (visual works)

Abstract:

The Holy Land scrapbook contains clipped black and white printed reproductions of photographs, maps and architectural plans dating mostly from the 1850-1860s. In the mid-19th century, the area of what was then known as Palestine was under the control of the Ottoman Empire and would be until the end of World War I. Many of the photographic reproductions included in this scrapbook date to a period of renewed European religious and historical interest in Palestine.

There is nothing known about the creator of the scrapbook and why these specific images were compiled together. In the mid-19th century, the area of what was then known as Palestine was under the control of the Ottoman Empire (1516-1918). Many of the photographic reproductions included in this scrapbook date from the 1850s and 1860s, a period of renewed European religious and historical interest in Palestine. In Nur Masalha's book on the history of the region, he states that, "In the 19th century religious revivalism, combined with feverish messianic nationalism, 'back to the bible' movements and 'rediscovery' of Palestine, swept across Europe and Russia" (243). During this time, many organizations formed in Europe with the aim to support both Christian and Jewish pilgrims' travel to Palestine, as well as an influx of geographical mapping and travelogues about the area. "This unprecedented industrial scale of production, circulation and consumption of Palestine/Holy Land knowledge was aided by the photographic revolution of the 1830s which began to produce masses of images of the Holy Land for the European, American and Russian markets" (Masalha 244). It was also around this time that Christian missionaries started traveling in great numbers to Africa, India and the Middle East. This probably explains why, in the scrapbook, most of the photographs are of Christian religious sites as well as depictions of Russian pilgrims and newly built Russian monasteries.

Works consulted:

Masalha, Nur. Palestine : A Four Thousand Year Old History. London, UK: Zed, 2018. Print.

This scrapbook contains around 290 clipped black and white printed reproductions of photographs, as well as maps and architectural plans. In addition to the photographic reproductions, there are 21 tipped in materials and 19 loose items that are usually descriptions of the reproductions. These photographs were taken mostly in the 1850s and 1860s during the Ottoman period, though newspaper clippings from Prussian Kaiser Wilhelm II's visit to Jerusalem in 1898 are included in this scrapbook. Many of the photographic reproductions have handwritten captions in English in pen or pencil, though some reproductions include their original captions in French or Italian. The creator of the scrapbook frequently added notes or arrows to the photographs to identify religious symbols or locations in a landscape photograph.

Twenty-five photographs depict Christian, Arab and Jewish residents of the region. One hundred and nineteen photographs are of the landscape, gates (Jaffa, Damascus, etc.), and surrounding areas of Jaffa, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Bethany. One hundred and forty-seven photographs depict churches, mosques, and religious sites important to the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Islam and Christianity).

Most of the photographic reproductions are taken in Jerusalem's old city and historic sites such as the Mount of Olives. Religious institutions such as the Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque, Church of the Nativity, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are depicted in this scrapbook. Jaffa, Bethlehem, Lod and Bethany also have multiple photographs of landscapes and religious sites in the scrapbook.

There are two maps included in the scrapbook. One of the maps, pasted at the beginning and middle of the scrapbook, depicts the region separated into Judea, Samaria and Galilee along with northern countries such as Asia Minor (Turkey), Italy, Greece, Austria and Bulgaria. The second map, at the end of the scrapbook, is of Jerusalem, outlining the Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Moslem quarters.