[MIDDLE EAST / PALESTINE / JERUSALEM] An original traveller-artist's sketchbook of British Mandate Palestine, with architectural and topographical views, 1928-1937

N. A.

Palestine, Jerusalem, and elsewhere in Britain, 1928, 1929-1937.

Original light grey cloth, retaining its original wraparound fastening cord; manuscript title “Palestine 1928/29” on the front cover. Oblong crown 8vo. (19 × 14 cm). [33] unnumbered leaves, predominantly used on rectos, with one leaf loosely inserted. Original manufacturer's label affixed to the front pastedown, and the former owner's business card, printed in French and Arabic, mounted on the rear pastedown. All sketches executed in pencil, one hand-coloured, with manuscript captions in English. Some fading and staining to the cloth, with occasional light foxing to the leaves. Overall, a good, well-preserved sketchbook.

An evocative original sketchbook containing 30 sketches, compiled by a traveller-artist apparently during journeys through British Mandate Palestine and elsewhere between 1928 and 1937, with particular emphasis on the architecture, landscapes, and topography of Jerusalem and its surroundings. Among its most striking compositions is a large double-page panoramic view of Jerusalem from the western side, accompanied by original pencil sketches depicting the city's historic monuments, streets, religious buildings, and everyday surroundings, alongside views of Jaffa, Ain Karim, Jifna, and Tiberias. A visiting card of Scander Fahmy, a prominent Egyptian railway administrator, is mounted on the front pastedown, providing an intriguing provenance association.

The Palestinian drawings offer a varied record of the region under British administration, ranging from the monumental architecture of Jerusalem to village settlements, coastal scenery, and studies of local inhabitants. Particularly notable are the panoramic view of Jerusalem's western skyline, the lively scene outside Herod's Gate, the architectural studies of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the views of Ain Karim, including its village well. Other drawings record the rocky harbour of Jaffa, traditional dress, the wooded landscape of Jifna, and the Sea of Galilee near Tiberias. Many are dated and captioned in manuscript, providing a geographical and chronological record of the artist's observations.

The sketchbook also contains drawings executed in England, including historic buildings, churches, picturesque streets, coastal landscapes, and rural scenery. Among its more historically significant subjects is a drawing of Buckingham Palace on the coronation day of King George VI, dated 12 May 1937. Other sketches depict Lacock in Wiltshire, Longleat, Fountains Abbey, Dover, and various architectural details, alongside botanical observations and figure studies. Predominantly executed in pencil, the drawings include a single-coloured architectural view.

The sketches include:

1. Sussex — A rural landscape with fields, trees, and distant hills. Undated.
2. Jaffa — Camels and figures in a coastal landscape. 1928.
3. Jaffa — Rocky harbour and coastal scenery, with boats and figures. 27 July 1928.
4. Mount of Olives, Jerusalem — Landscape near the war cemetery. 1928.
5. Architectural study — Stone steps, an arched entrance, and a garden terrace. Undated.
6. Palestine — Studies of local figures in traditional dress, including seated figures. Undated.
7. Jifna, Palestine — Wooded valley and surrounding hills. 21 September 1928.
8. Ain Karim — Village buildings, a church tower, and a pack animal. Undated.
9. The Well at Ain Karim — Stone fountain or well, vessels, and figures. 23 September 1928.
10. Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem — Architectural study. September 1928.
11. Jerusalem — Garden terrace with a cypress tree and flowerpots. October 1929.
12. Herod's Gate, Jerusalem — City gate with figures and market activity outside the walls. 27 September 1928.
13. Jerusalem — Architectural studies of a mosque, minaret, and arches. Undated.
14. Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem — Door of the Guardians, with stone steps and figures. November 1929.
15. Jerusalem, Western Side — Large double-page panoramic view of the city, its walls, domes, towers, and surrounding landscape. Undated.
16. Jerusalem — Street scene with traditional buildings, shops, and figures. March 1929.
17. Mount Hermon from Tiberias — Mountain and lake landscape with sailing boats. 29 March 1929.
18. Tiberias — View across the Sea of Galilee, with flowering plants in the foreground. 31 May 1929.
19. Palestine — Two figure studies in traditional dress. Undated.
20. A Moorland Stream — Rocky landscape with trees and running water. 30 June 1933.
21. Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire — Gothic architectural ruins. 5 July 1933.
22. Polruan, Cornwall — Coastal panorama across the Fowey River, looking towards Mevagissey. 15 August 1934.
23. Burnham Beeches — Woodland study with mature trees and exposed roots. 2 June 1935.
24. Market Cross, Wymondham — Architectural study of the historic market building. 10 July 1935.
25. Newark Castle — Architectural view executed in coloured pencil. 8 July 1933.
26. Buckingham Palace, London — Crowds and flags on the coronation day of King George VI. 12 May 1937.
27. Shearwater, Longleat — Lakeside landscape with trees and buildings. 22 June 1937.
28. Lacock, Wiltshire — Historic village street and buildings. 30 June 1937.
29. East Cliff, Dover — Coastal landscape with cliffs and sea. Undated.
30. Architectural and botanical studies — Gothic architectural details and manuscript observations of plants. Various dates.

Scander Pasha Fahmy (b. 1837) belonged to an Egyptian Coptic family originally from Upper Egypt and was born in Alexandria. An engineer associated with the development of Egypt's railway administration; he rose to a senior position within the Egyptian State Railways. His international standing is documented in the proceedings of the Sixth International Railway Congress, held in Paris during the Exposition Universelle of 1900, where he appears among the Egyptian representatives under the designation “S. Exc. Scander Pacha Fahmy, administrateur des chemins de fer de l'État égyptien.” His professional career reflects the important role played by Egyptian engineers and administrators in the development of the country's modern transport infrastructure.

His son, Naguib Scander Fahmy, followed in his father's footsteps as an engineer and subsequently moved to France and England, where he reportedly worked with Winston Churchill. This intriguing connection is recorded in the biography of Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, an Egyptian French curator and descendant of the Fahmy family, published by Art Dubai in 2024. Although the identity of the sketchbook's artist remains unestablished, the family's connections with Egypt and England provide an interesting historical context for the album.

Provenance: The album is a Reeves' Sketch Book, Series 346, manufactured in England by Reeves & Sons Ltd., the established London artists' colourmen and suppliers, whose original printed labels identify the paper as Greyhound Drawing Paper, Not Surface, and give the firm's address as 181 High Street, Kensington. The front pastedown bears the mounted visiting card of Scander Fahmy, printed in Arabic and French and identifying him as Administrateur des Chemins de fer, des Télégraphes et du Port d'Alexandrie, with an address in Cairo. This provides a noteworthy Egyptian provenance association, although the precise relationship between Fahmy and the artist remains undetermined.

References: Sixième session du Congrès international des chemins de fer, Paris, 1900, proceedings (Scander Pasha Fahmy's position in the Egyptian railway administration and his participation in the congress).; Art Dubai, Art Dubai Talks 2024, biographical profile of Nadine Abdel Ghaffar (Fahmy family history, Naguib Scander Fahmy's engineering career, and his reported association with Winston Churchill).; Journal des Tribunaux Mixtes, 1935 (reference to Scander Pasha Fahmy's property in Hélouan).