[PHOTOGRAPHY / OVERLAND JOURNEY THROUGH IRAN] 298 gelatine silver photographs in two albums, documenting a journey through Iran, in Tehran, Mashhad, Khorasan, Herat, Kurdistan, and onward to Iraq and Anatolia, by German travellers, c. 1925-1930

COMPLETE TITLE: [PHOTOGRAPHY / OVERLAND JOURNEY THROUGH IRAN BY GERMAN TRAVELLERS] A large collection of 298 gelatine silver photographs, mounted in two albums, documenting an overland journey through Iran, beginning in Tehran and continuing via Mashhad, Khorasan, Herat, Kurdistan, and onward to Iraq and Anatolia, undertaken by two German travellers, c. 1925-1930.

[UNIDENTIFIED GERMAN TRAVELLERS / PHOTOGRAPHERS].

Iran, c. 1925-1930.

In contemporary burgundy and black bindings. Tissue guards between the cardstock leaves. Oblong folio (31 × 40.5 cm). Two albums comprising a total of 298 gelatine silver photographs (141 in the first, 157 in the second), generally measuring approximately 8.5 × 14 cm, with smaller formats (9 × 6 cm; 8 × 5 cm), and including a two-part panoramic print (23.5 × 8 cm). The photographs were printed and finished in Berlin, with versos bearing the stamp of W. Talbot. The prints are mounted on cardstock leaves, with occasional Ottoman Turkish manuscript captions identifying specific sites, particularly in the Tehran section, and with further stamps of the Berlin-based W. Talbot firm. While the authorship remains unidentified, internal evidence, including the presence of German travellers, the use of advanced photographic and aviation technology, and the coherence of the route, suggests that the albums were compiled by German photographers operating within a structured, possibly semi-official context in the late 1920s. Bindings show some wear at the edges; overall, a well-preserved and visually coherent set.

A historically interesting and visually striking collection of photographs (all in excellent, well-balanced tones), preserved in two albums, documenting an extensive overland journey across early Pahlavi Iran, extending from Tehran through Mashhad and Khorasan to Herat and Iranian Kurdistan, then Iraq, Turkey, and Greece, offering a vivid record of the region’s landscapes, architecture, and ethnographic life.

This possibly semi-official expedition, conducted by a two-member group of German travellers not yet identified in the records, appears to have been a civilian, possibly touristic undertaking; nevertheless, their evident access to aircraft, motor vehicles, and logistical support in the region suggests the likelihood of some form of diplomatic or institutional affiliation. The albums include a wide range of subjects like urban and rural views of Iranian cities (including Tehran and Mashhad), Islamic architectural works, landscape and mountain passages in the Kurdish regions, riverine environments of the Karun and Karkheh, and the Tigris and Euphrates basins. Further images depict local populations, markets, caravanserais, and challenging travel conditions in some areas, alongside more intimate scenes of the travellers themselves.

Selection from the collection: Following views of the Municipal Building in Tehran and a striking nocturnal photograph of a mosque, the album presents the German travellers in local dress on horseback at a farm in the vicinity of Tehran. A rich sequence of urban and architectural views follows: the historic Darvazeh-ye Tehran in Qazvin, noted for its elaborate tile decoration; Yusuf Abad Gate; the Marble Palace (Kakh-e Marmar); a panoramic view of Tehran including Lalezar Avenue; the Sepahsalar Mosque; the Shams al-Emareh (Sun Building) of the Golestan Palace; and scenes from the Sa'dabad Palace complex. Particularly noteworthy are a compelling view along Ferdowsi Street, the Hotel Palace on Lalezar Street, and numerous lively street scenes depicting automobiles and the inhabitants of Tehran. Additional images show Bagh-e Melli (National Garden) in the early Pahlavi period, as well as surrounding villages. Early leaves include images of a series of aerial photographs taken from an aircraft bearing a German civil registration ("D-1684"), identifiable as a Junkers W 33 or a closely related model. This all-metal monoplane, widely used in the late 1920s for long-distance flights and reconnaissance, situates the journey within a technologically advanced and logistically organized framework. The same modern dimension is reinforced by the repeated appearance of touring automobiles, boxy-bodied, open or semi-enclosed vehicles consistent with late 1920s German manufacture (such as Adler or Opel), seen both in urban settings and along difficult rural routes.

The journey then proceeds to Mashhad, where an impressive two-part panoramic view of the Shrine of Imam Reza, captured in the early morning light, is accompanied by rare documentary images of Shi'i communal life in its vicinity. The travellers cross the Alborz Mountains by a combination of motor vehicles and pack animals, with winter landscapes and camp scenes. In Iranian Kurdistan, the album records numerous portraits of Kurdish inhabitants in traditional dress, tribal groups, their settlements, and courtyard houses.

The sequence continues in Herat, with views of local inhabitants, architectural monuments, dervishes, women, mosque cemeteries, caravanserais, and bazaars, alongside scenes of a dense Shiite community. Further photographs document rural life, animal husbandry, irrigation canals, traditional dwellings, fortifications, and family groups, as well as nomadic Turkmen or Kurdish communities living in black (Karakil) tents. The first album concludes with images of the party traversing the snow-covered Zagros Mountains.

The second album opens with scenes along the banks of a river (likely the Karun or Karkheh), including horseback crossings, bridges, and extended sequences of local types, many of them armed tribesmen, rendered in remarkably sharp tonal quality. The two German travellers are shown as guests of a prominent tribal household, playing dominoes and smoking water pipes, while also documenting various aspects of local production processes (such as flour sifting). Tribal guards are photographed with their Mauser rifles.

After a further crossing of the Zagros Mountains, the album returns to northeastern Iran, with views of the Besh Qardash monument near Bojnurd, its interior decoration, and surrounding inhabitants, followed by bridges in the Seljuk architectural tradition. The sequence continues with Persepolis, scenes along the Pulvar River (including local women), and the ruins of the ancient city, as well as views from Shiraz and numerous portraits of women and children.

The travellers then cross once more over the Zagros into Iraq, where a small group of photographs from Baghdad, including street scenes, inhabitants, and the Zumurrud Khatun Mausoleum, is included. The final section, comprising approximately 15-20 photographs, documents a north-westerly journey: through the Tigris - Euphrates basin and several ancient sites in Turkey, onward to the Aegean coast and islands, and via the Corinth Canal to mainland Greece, concluding with two final views of Piazza San Marco in Rome.