Lot 257
  • 257

SIMPSON, B. INDIA - 'ABORIGINES OF INDIA', 4TO, 80 PHOTOS, BROWN MOROCCO

Estimate
6,000 - 9,000 GBP
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Description

  • Album of seventy nine photographs "Aborigines of India". [1860s]
4to (300 x 260mm.), 79 albumen prints (76: average 240 x 190mm., or the reverse; 3: 115 x 90mm.), on 77 thick card mounts, recto only, some captioned in ink on the mount, twentieth-century brown crushed morocco gilt by Sotheran & Co., spine in compartments with raised bands gilt, titled on spine, gilt edges, some spotting and fading, light dust-soiling, binding missing clasp

Condition

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."

Catalogue Note

A RARE ALBUM OF INDIAN PORTRAITS. Sir Benjamin Simpson (1831-1923) served in the Indian Medical Service (Bengal) from 1853 to 1890. A keen amateur photographer and member of the Bengal Photographic Society, he produced a series of 80 photographs, Racial Types of Northern India, which won a gold medal at the London International Exhibition of 1862. A further trip to Assam in 1867-68 produced more portraits, many of which were lithographed for Edward Tuite Dalton's Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal (Calcutta, 1872). Many of Simpson's portraits were also included in Watson & Kay's eight-volume The People of India (1868-1875).