Saudi Arabia--Arnold, Philip

40 high gloss silver prints (120 x 174mm., or the reverse), each stamped on the reverse "No Military Objection / Mil[itary] Press Censor" and date stamped "14 August 1942", and initialled by the censor, preserved in archival sleeves; together with a typed list of the images signed by the photographer (passed by the censor), and a typed note signed by the Military Press Censor

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."

Arnold took these photographs while working for a gold mining company in Saudi Arabia. The images show 12 views in Riyadh, no.1-13 (no.7 not present), a group of pilgrims camped at Arafat (no.14), 23 photographs along the route from Jeddah to Riyadh (no.15-37, including 20A-C, and 24A-B), and a view of Dhahran.

In the summer of 1942 Arnold joined the British army as Lieutenant in the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG). "Arnold had worked for a firm in Aden, had sold cars in Abyssinia, served in the Foreign Legion in Syria, fought in some strange amphibious battles in the Somaliland campaign. His last peace-time job was with an American mining company which was successfully extracting gold from the barren hills between Mecca and Medina. Philip ran their transport for them and once a month took the gold right across Arabia to be shipped from the Persian Gulf ports" (W.B. Kennedy Shaw, Long Range Desert Group (London, 1945, p.138).