Historically Significant Album with 72 Rare Original Gelatin Silver Photographs of Peru, Showing the Citadel of Sacsayhuaman (General View, Entrance to a Chamber, Entrance to an Old Silver Mine, a Secret Staircase, Opening to an Underground Tunnel), Cuzco (City Cathedral, Convent of Santo Domingo, a Stoned-up Viaduct, Inca Masonry Work, Spanish Buildings on Inca Foundations, Streets, Entrance Gates, &c.) and Lima (Metropolitan Cathedral, Hotel “Pension Royal”); Peruvian Passers-by, Children, Llama Herdsmen, a Priest from the Convent of Santo Domingo, and the Album’s Compiler. Ca. 1920s.

Oblong Folio album (ca. 26,5x33,5 cm or 10 ¼ x 12 in). Ten card stock leaves. With seventy-two mounted gelatin silver photos, all ca. 8x13,5 cm (3 x 5 ¼ in). All photos with period white ink manuscript captions on the mounts. Period style black half morocco with black cloth boards; spine and boards with gilt-tooled decorative borders. A couple of photos very mildly faded or with mild silvering, but overall a very good album of strong interesting photos.

Attractive extensive collection of rare original gelatin silver vernacular photographs of Peru, apparently taken and collected by an American tourist in the 1920s. The album opens with seven photos of Lima, showing the Metropolitan Cathedral, Hotel “Pension Royal” and nearby park. The rest of the images (65) show Cuzco and its environs. Over twenty photos depict the Citadel of Sacsayhuaman, dating back to the 15th century. The images include general and close-up views of the citadel, photos of “rocks forced into large uniform curves – highly polished like a slide – others cut out with seats and steps;” “entrance into chamber cut out of solid rocks;” “entrance to old silver mine, near entrance to Sacsahuaman [sic!];” “stairway descends into secret passage leading from back of Sacsahuaman [sic!] into Temple of Sun;” “an earthquake caused the splitting open of the rocks exposing the secret stairs;” “steps and seats cut from solid rocks used in religious ceremonies;” “entrance to famous fortress Sacsahuaman [sic!], the most wonderful fortification of ancient times.”

Examples of the captions to the other views of Sacsayhuaman: “on high hill of rocks back and about 800 ft above city – natural rocks like a tobaggon [sic!] slide – polished like glass;” “where I stand marks opening to 1 of 3 secret underground tunnels leading thru back of Fort Sacsahuaman to city of Cuzco 800 feet below;” “entrance to one of three secret passages from back of Fort to Cuzco. Passages now closed due to loss of lives in trying to go thru them;” “steps cut from solid rocks upon which mummies of their ancestors were gathered and placed annually at a religious ceremony,” &c.

About forty photos show Cuzco: a general view taken from Sacsayhuaman and close-up views of different sites and examples of Inca masonry. Over a dozen images show the most known city churches – the Convent of Santo Domingo, built on top of the main temple of the Inca Empire, Coricancha, and Cuzco Cathedral “into which one of the secret passages leads from Sacsahuaman.”

The other images show “stone yokes in ground in which prisoners were confined for public punishment,” a “stoned up viaduct, called River of Blood, marked confines of ancient Inca city,” the “national academy,” several examples of buildings with Inca and “Megalithic epoch” stonework (“outer walls showing some ancient masonry,” “Inca masonry work at foot of hill on which stands Sacsahuaman [sic!], nitches [sic!] probably for idols or sentinels,” “wonderful Polygon masonry work,” “wonderful stone work without the use of mortar,” “street scene showing different styles of Inca or pre-Inca masonry, on top of which are built more modern Spanish buildings,” &c.), Cuzco streets and a market, “Inca temple entrance now used as modern store,” “one of the old entrance gates into the city,” a “flock of llamas,” &c. Several photos feature Peruvian passers-by, children, llama herdsmen, a priest from the Convent of Santo Domingo, &c. The album’s compiler poses on at least a dozen images. Overall, a lively collection of rare original vernacular photos of Cuzco and Lima, taken in ca. 1920s.