983 - G. ZANGAKI (19th century), Washhouse in front of the Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo, around 1900, albumen print

G. ZANGAKI (19th century), Washhouse in front of the Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo, around 1900, albumen print Zangaki Brothers (19th century): Washhouse in front of the Muhammad Ali Mosque in Cairo, Ottoman style, c. 1900, albumen paper print Technique: albumen paper print, mounted on cardboard Date: c. 1900 Description: Historical view of Egypt. An impressive washhouse on a square surrounded by arcades in front of the Muhammad Ali Mosque, also known as the Alabaster Mosque, in Cairo. The photograph was taken by the Zangaki brothers, two Greek photographers who were active around 1870–1890 and were particularly successful with their photographs of Egypt as souvenirs for tourists. They usually signed their work “C.&G. Zangaki.” Original photograph with high detail sharpness. An early example of travel photography. Around the middle of the 19th century, more and more tourists from the middle class traveled throughout Europe. At that time, taking photographs required a great deal of time and involved expensive, cumbersome equipment. This made many tourists all the more grateful for the work of the professional photography studios on site, allowing them to bring back a souvenir from their vacation or collect them as mementos. The photographers captured the most famous sights in their hometowns and cities and traveled themselves to photograph their customers’ favorite destinations, offering these images as albumen prints. Ancient art treasures were also photographed and offered to travelers. The high-quality photographs of sculptures and frescoes continued to make an important contribution to documenting these art treasures and making them accessible to scholars from all over Europe, who previously had to rely on copies or engravings if they were unable to view the originals themselves. Keywords: 20th century, Historicism, Architecture, Egypt, Cairo, Size: Paper: 20.8 cm x 27.0 cm (8.2 x 10.6 in) Condition: Good condition. Faint light damage to the sides and a stain on the lower left of the plate. Various repairs and retouches to the stained or damaged plate are visible. The corners of the plate are slightly bumped.