4024 - Ceylon

Ceylon Photographers: Skeen & Co. (active 1860–1903), Scowen & Co. (active 1876–1893), and unknown. Views of Ceylon. 1880s. 13 albumen prints, mounted on boards. Each measures between 21 x 27.5 cm (mount 22.5 x 29.5 cm) and 21.5 x 28 cm (mount 25 x 31.5 cm). Some bear the photographer’s credit and/or number printed on the negative; several mounts are captioned in pencil, including “Ratnapura,” “Colombo from the Cathedral Tower,” “Kadugannawa Pass between Colombo and Kandy,” and “Une rue à Colombo.” A varied late nineteenth-century photographic journey through British Ceylon, including tea pickers on an estate, a bathing scene at a stepped waterfall, a village street, river boats in Ratnapura, views of Colombo’s harbor and streets, a temple complex, roads in the hill country, and a mahout with an elephant. The selection combines scenic views intended for the colonial travel market with depictions of transportation, agricultural labor, and local daily life. – Mounts show some foxing, age-related discoloration, handling marks, minor edge wear, occasional creases, and small tears; prints have isolated scuffs and scratches and vary in tonal intensity, with fading around the edges of some prints; otherwise, they are generally in good condition.