Java, c. 1875
Anonymous

Two albumen prints showing views of Java. 

The first shows Javanese children beside the river Sawah, the second shows two young men at the entrance to a large cave. 

The two prints are mounted on two album pages which at some point have been taped together verso by strip of bright red tape (the tape is vintage, not modern). The positioning of the caption in the lower margin suggests that the photographs were always mounted as a double page spread. 

The caption in the lower margin is in Italian. It reads ‘Presso il Fiume “Sawah” — Isola di Giava’ [At the River Sawah — Island of Java.]

Photographer unidentified.

Condition: the prints are in excellent condition, with very good tonal range. One album page is missing the tips of two corners and the other has sustained a heavy crease at one corner; otherwise both pages are clean and firm. 

Dimensions: the prints are the same height but not quite the same width. The one showing the children at the river measures 8.3” by 6” (21.1 cm by 15.1 cm); the one showing the two men at the cave measures 8.3” by 6.8” (21.1 cm by 17.3”). The overall dimensions of the two album pages together are 9.7” by 13.4” (24.6 cm by 34.3 cm).