G. Eric Matson. The Middle East in Pictures.

Auction 93 | Thursday, May 06th, 2021 at 1:00pm
K2 Judaica Sale: Rare Printed Books, Manuscripts, Autograph Letters, Graphic & Ceremonial Arts

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Lot 160
(ISRAEL, LAND OF).

G. Eric Matson. The Middle East in Pictures.

Edited by George S. Hobart. Four volumes. Hundreds of photograhpic illustrations. Ex-library. Original boards. Folio.

New York: Arno Press 1980

Est: $300 - $500
PRICE REALIZED $225
Library of Congress curator George Hobart's short introductory texts to a visual catalogue comprised of photographic prints originally offered for sale by the Matson Photo Service, Jerusalem; images cropped from original negatives. Around 1900, Elijah Meyers, a member of Jerusalem’s American Colony, began taking photographs of places and events in and around the city. Meyers' work eventually expanded into a full-fledged photographic division within the Colony, including Hol Lars (Lewis) Larsson and G. Eric Matson, who later renamed the effort as the Matson Photographic Service. Their interest in archeological artifacts and the detail of their photographs, led to widespread interest in their work by archeologists. The collection was later donated to the Library of Congress.