Baku oil fields (Azerbaijan), Georgia and Sebastopol.

Oblong 4to (232 x 315mm.), 46 albumen prints (178 x 245mm., or the reverse), by A. Michon, A. Engel and others, mounted on thick card (some with printed mounts), recto only, many captioned in ink or pencil on the mount, contemporary black morocco gilt, upper cover titled in gilt, some captions or printed borders cropped by the binder, extremities scuffed

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Rare photographs of the Caucasus and Sebastopol, comprising: 13 views around Tbilisi (6 by A. Engel), 5 of Kutais, 2 unidentified views in the Caucasus, 12 of the Caucasus by A. Michon, including Baku (with scenes of the oil industry) and Samarkand and 14 views of Sebastopol.

Alexander Engel (1848-1918) opened a photographic studio in Tbilisi in late 1890, prior to which he had been a landscape painter. A member of the Russian Imperial Geographical Society, he was awarded a silver medal by the Geographical Society of St Petersburg in 1879. In 1895 he opened a photo-lithographic studio and from 1896 worked as a photographer on the Transcaucasian Railway.

Alexandre Michon (d.1921), Russian photographer, film director and pioneer of Azerbaijani cinema was born in Kharkov. He later settled in Baku, where in 1898 he shot his first film The Oil Gush in Balakhany using a Lumière cinematograph, which was shown at the International Exhibition in Paris.