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Shlomo Narinsky Holy Land photogravure postcard collection

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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
Ms Coll 1675
Repository:
University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Extent:
.75 linear feet
Language:
Arabic, English, and Hebrew
Preferred Citation:
Shlomo Narinsky Holy Land photogravure postcard collection, 1921, Ms Coll 1675, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania
Date:
1921
Creator:
Narinsky, Shlomo, 1885-1960
Form:
Photographic postcards, Photogravures (prints), and Postcards
Abstract:
Shlomo Narinsky (1885-1960) was a photographer and visual artist, whose work depicted scenes in Mandatory Palestine and Israel. The Shlomo Narinsky Holy Land photogravure postcard collection consists of 99 postcards, with photogravures by Shlomo Narinsky printed on the front, depicting scenes from Mandatory Palestine, dating from 1921.

Shlomo (Salomon) Narinsky was born in 1885 in either the village of Abyan in Ukraine or in Warsaw, as noted in his file at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). In Moscow, Narinsky studied visual arts, while he received his formal training in photography in Paris and Berlin. Narinsky first travelled to the Ottoman Empire's Palestine in 1906 where he settled in Jerusalem and opened a photography studio. In 1932, Narinsky moved to Paris where he opened his second photography studio. With the advent of World War II and the Nazi invasion of France, Narinsky was interned in the Drancy, Saint-Denis and Vittel detention camps. In 1944, Shlomo and his wife, Sonia, were released and sent to Palestine in the Third German-Palestinian Exchange. Shlomo lived the rest of his life in Israel, settling first in Kibbutz Ein Harod and then moving to Haifa in the 1950s. Shlomo Narinsky died in Haifa in 1960.

Works consulted:

"Shlomo Narinsky." Israel Museum, https://museum.imj.org.il/artcenter/newsite/en/?artist=Narinsky,%20Shlomo&list=N. Accessed 10 July 2025.

"Shlomo Narinsky." Central Zionist Archives, http://www.zionistarchives.org.il/en/Pages/nerinski.aspx. Accessed 10 July 2025.

Salomon NARINSKY, List of Persons Who Arrived in Palestine on 10 July 1944 under the Auspices of the Third German-Palestinian Exchange (242 persons), United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives, Washington, DC.

The Shlomo Narinsky Holy Land photogravure postcard collection consists of 99 postcards, with photogravures by Shlomo Narinsky printed on the front, depicting scenes from Mandatory Palestine, dating from 1921. As the postcards were pasted onto paper in 1980, the captions on the backs of the cards are not visible. The majority of the postcards depict the landscape of Mandatory Palestine, religious sites and the local people of the region. Cities such as Jaffa (today Tel-Aviv), Galilee, Jerusalem and Bethlehem are featured in this collection. Religious sites such as the Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem), Rachel's tomb, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Mosque of Omar (Jerusalem), and the Al-Aqsa Mosque can be found in this collection. The postcards depict fisherman, shepherds, Yemenite Jews, Bedouins, and Orthodox Jews in Mandatory Palestine.

The postcards are housed in a covered cardboard box with a leather label printed in gold which reads "Old Jerusalem : The Holy Land, 1910-1921, Photogravures by S. Narinsky." Ten of the cards are becoming detached from the paper and one postcard is completely detached.

Sold by Kedem Auction House Ltd. (Sale 31, Lot 107), 2015

At New York University: Shlomo Narinsky (Neroni) and Sonia Narinsky Postcard Album - Hisham Khatib Collection, 1910-1921, AD.MC.030_ref174, https://findingaids.library.nyu.edu/akkasah/ad_mc_030_ref174/

At the University of Pennsylvania: Nir and Inna Feldman collection of Haifa material, 1790-1988, Ms. Coll. 1596, https://findingaids.library.upenn.edu/records/UPENN_RBML_PUSP.MS.COLL.1596

At the University of Pennsylvania: Lenkin Family Collection of Photography, https://tinyurl.com/5n8tprs5

At the University of Pennsylvania: Zoltán Kluger photographs, circa 1930s to 1950s, Arc MS 68, https://findingaids.library.upenn.edu/records/UPENN_CAJS_CJS.ARCMS68

At the University of Pennsylvania: Holy Land scrapbook, 1850-1898, Ms. Coll. 1624, https://findingaids.library.upenn.edu/records/UPENN_RBML_PUSP.MS.COLL.1624

At Yale University: Father Carney Gavin legacy collection of Holy Land photographs, 1820-2013, GEN MSS 1724, https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/beinecke.gavin

Subject
Place
Occupation

Publisher
University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Finding Aid Author
Hope Jones
Finding Aid Date
2025 July 16
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Collection Inventory

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Narinsky 001: "The colony of Beit Jann in Galilee", [1921].
Box 1 Folder 1
Narinsky 002: "Sunset view of anchored fishermen's boats near Jaffa", [1921].
Box 1 Folder 2
Narinsky 003: "A modern colony in Jaffa", [1921].
Box 1 Folder 3
Narinsky 004: "The River Auja near Jaffa and the place of allied victories in Palestine", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 4
Narinsky 005: "The outlet of the Jordan from the Sea of Galilee..", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 5
Narinsky 006: "The Ruins of Cesarea", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 6
Narinsky 007: "A general view of Yavniel" or "A general view of the Galilee mountains above the colony Yebua ( Galilee )", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 7
Narinsky 008: "Mountains in the Judean Desert", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 8
Narinsky 009: "Fishermen at Jaffa", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 9
Narinsky 010: "Water mills at the river Auja near Jaffa", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 10
Narinsky 011: "The Plain of Jezreel", undated.
Box 1 Folder 11
Narinsky 012: "An Orthodox Jew of Jerusalem", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 12
Narinsky 013: "A Shepherdess in the Holy Land", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 13
Narinsky 014: "A Yemenite Jew Chief in Jerusalem", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 14
Narinsky 015: "Sorting his wheat", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 15
Narinsky 016: "Flocks by the shore of the Sea of Galilee", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 16
Narinsky 017: "The mountains of Gilead behind the River Jordan", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 17
Narinsky 018: "Brook Cherith near Jericho", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 18
Narinsky 019: "Palms at the foot of Mount Carmel", undated.
Box 1 Folder 19
Narinsky 020: "Palm-trees forest near the River Kishon. Haifa", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 20
Narinsky 021: "Ain-Fara ravine, a tributary of Brooth Cherith", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 21
Narinsky 022: "Wild sweet lemons at Ain-Fara, a tributary of Brooth Cherith", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 22
Narinsky 023: "A side view of Tiberias", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 23
Narinsky 024: "The River Jordan with Jericho in sight", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 24
Narinsky 025: "The sea-port of Jaffa", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 25
Narinsky 026: "The Dead Sea", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 26
Narinsky 027: "Sea-gulls' nest in the famous rocks at Jaffa", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 27
Narinsky 028: "A natural tower in the Mediterranean in the port of the tribe of Benjamin", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 28
Narinsky 029: "On the way to Bethlehem", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 29
Narinsky 030: "The Sea of Galilee and Jordan", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 30
Narinsky 031: "Examining his Great Grandson in a Bible Lesson", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 31
Narinsky 032: "An original type of a Rabbi", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 32
Narinsky 033: "A native Jew of Jerusalem", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 33
Narinsky 034: "Ibn El Sioud Bedouins", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 34
Narinsky 035: "A Yemenite beauty", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 35
Narinsky 036: "A Bedouin in his happy mood", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 36
Narinsky 037: "The Basilica (Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem)", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 37
Narinsky 038: "A 110 years [sic] old Jew of Tiberias", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 38
Narinsky 039: "Hebron with the Minerets [sic] of its great Mosque", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 39
Narinsky 040: "The Pearl of Safed", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 40
Narinsky 041: "A Holy Land Beauty", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 41
Narinsky 042: "A Bedouin and his pride", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 42
Narinsky 043: "Between his Orange gardens", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 43
Narinsky 044: "Threshing in Palestine", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 44
Narinsky 045: "Rachel's Tomb", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 45
Narinsky 046: "Steps leadin to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 46
Narinsky 047: "A street in Jerusalem", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 47
Narinsky 048: "Water Carriers in the Mosque of Omar Court- Yard", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 48
Narinsky 049: "The Mosque El-Aksa", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 49
Narinsky 050: "The 2000 years old Holy Tree in Gethsemany[sic]", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 50
Narinsky 051: "The Fountain of Khalifa Omar", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 51
Narinsky 052: "The Inteior of the Golden Gate", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 52
Narinsky 053: "The Interior of th Church of the Holy Sepulchre", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 53
Narinsky 054: "Tyropean Valley (Mosque of Omar)", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 54
Narinsky 055: "The Damascus Gate", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 55
Narinsky 056: "A general view of Bethlehem", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 56
Narinsky 057: "The Mount of Olives", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 57
Narinsky 058: "Ancient Tombs around Absalom's Pillar in the Valley of Jehosaphat", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 58
Narinsky 059: "Gethsemany[sic]", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 59
Narinsky 060: "The Chapel of the slaughter of the Infants", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 60
Narinsky 061: "Absalom's Pillar and Mary's well", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 61
Narinsky 062: "An old stone-well in the wilderness of Judea", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 62
Narinsky 063: "The original Jerusalem City Wall, north side", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 63
Narinsky 064: "Jaffa sea-shore at dawn", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 64
Narinsky 065: [Unknown Title], undated.
Box 1 Folder 65
Narinsky 066: "The Hiding place of St. John the Baptist", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 66
Narinsky 067: "The tombs of St. James and Zacharias in the Valley of Jehoshaphat", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 67
Narinsky 068: "Fawwar, the Valley of the Kedron", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 68
Narinsky 069: "Road leading to Mount Zion", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 69
Narinsky 070: "The site where the Crown of Thorns was placed upon Christ's Head", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 70
Narinsky 071: "The Mosque of Omar (evening time)", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 71
Narinsky 072: "A Bedouin Girl", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 72
Narinsky 073: "Mountain view of Sea of Galilee and surroundings", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 73
Narinsky 074: "On the way to Jericho", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 74
Narinsky 075: "Calvary", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 75
Narinsky 076: [Unknown Title], 1921.
Box 1 Folder 76
Narinsky 077: "At the foot of Mount Carmel", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 77
Narinsky 078: "Palm Boulevard in Rishon Lezion", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 78
Narinsky 079: "The Spring at Ain Fara", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 79
Narinsky 080: "Pasture land in the mountains", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 80
Narinsky 081: "In the wilderness of Judea", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 81
Narinsky 082: "A Monastery in the rocks, Kedron Valley", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 82
Narinsky 083: "A cemetery in Zammarin", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 83
Narinsky 084: "Ain Karim, the birth-place of St. John the Baptist", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 84
Narinsky 085: "A. Arinsohn", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 85
Narinsky 086: "S. Arinsohn", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 86
Narinsky 087: "Gardens in Hebron", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 87
Narinsky 088: [Unknown Title], 1921.
Box 1 Folder 88
Narinsky 089: "House of Simon the Tanner", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 89
Narinsky 090: "The blue waters of the Mediterranean", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 90
Narinsky 091: "David's Tower", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 91
Narinsky 092: "Tower of Antonia (Mosque of Omar)", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 92
Narinsky 093: "Pool of Hezekiah", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 93
Narinsky 094: "The Grotto of the Nativity", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 94
Narinsky 095: "Foundations of Tower of Antonia", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 95
Narinsky 096: "Cadi Burhan-ed-din's pulpit", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 96
Narinsky 097: "Mount Zion", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 97
Narinsky 098: "A street in Jerusalem", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 98
Narinsky 099: "Interior of the Church of the Nativity", 1921.
Box 1 Folder 99

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