Loti, Pierre--Viard, Lucien Armand, and others.

3 albums, oblong folio (average 230 x 320mm.), approximately 640 photographs, mounted on card, recto and verso, various sizes (from 45 x 50mm. to 222 x 290mm.), a small number captioned in French on the mount, including albumen prints, cyanotypes, and gloss and matt silver prints, 2 albums bound in cloth, one in black half morocco, some mounts detached and loose within the binding, some spotting and fading to images, bindings slightly rubbed

Lucien Armand Viard (1857- after 1916); see footnote and lot 265

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."

These albums were compiled by Lucien Armand Viard (1857- after 1916), French naval officer, amateur photographer and close friend of the famous Orientalist Pierre Loti (1850-1923), a fellow naval officer, photographer and novelist, who travelled widely in the Ottoman Empire. Loose in the albums are 2 autograph letters from Pierre Loti to Viard addressed to "Mon cher camarade"; the first discussing a walk (2 pages, undated) signed "P. Loti," the second thanking Viard for his kind letter at a difficult time (3 pages, dated at Hendaye, 17th August [no year]), signed "J. Viaud"; together with 4 postcards sent by Loti (signed J. Viaud) to Charlotte Viard showing interiors of Loti's house in Rochefort; Pierre Loti's calling card inscribed with a note to Viard, and a French newspaper cutting regarding the "baptism" of Loti's cat on board the Vatour on the Bosphorus. Another item is an original watercolour of the cemetery of Eyüp, which overlooks the Golden Horn in Constantinople, in which region Loti lived in 1877 and who wrote about his love of the district.

The photographs record Viard's family life, holidays, travels and naval career, including North Africa (Algeria) and the Middle East (Aden, the Lebanon and the Holy Land). There are also views in and around Hendaye: at Pierre Loti's house Bakhar-Etchea and images of the gunboat Javelot, commanded by Loti after December 1891.

Please note: 12 photographs of Mecca and the Hajj by the Arab photographer Al-Sayyid Abd al-Ghaffar, which were formerly in these albums are being offered as lot 265 in this sale.