Antiquarian Auctions

Auction #114 begins on 11 Apr 2024

Unknown photographer(s)

Bhavnagar [India] Album of Captioned Architectural and Other Nineteenth Century Photographs. [First of two albums]

Presented by His Highness Raol Shri Bhavsinhji, Maharajah Saheb

Published: [Roger W Bolton], Johannesburg, 1996

Edition: Unique copy

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[This is the first of two similar albums, with some of the images common to both. See Lot 375 for the second album.]

The album owes its origin to one of several albums presented to his cabinet and other leading officials by the Maharajah of Bhavnagar, a state in north-west India, in the 1890s. This copy was presented to Richard Proctor-Sims (RPS), great-grandfather of the present owner and for many years the architect-engineer and close adviser to Bhavnagar state and its maharajah. [See Wikipedia for a long obituary of RPS]

RESTORATION. In 1996 Roger Bolton, who with his wife, Ivy, were book restorers to the Brenthurst Library in Johannesburg, undertook this work for the owner of the original album, which was in a poor state of repair. Bolton shaved off the top gilded maroon marocco layer of the original album and pasted it on to the matching bevelled upper cloth-board of a new album which he designed and made. The new album has heavy blue-grey-board endpapers attached to the spine with broad maroon tape. Also attached to the spine are 21 heavy board hinged leaves, on both sides of which are mounted 39 mainly 235 x 180 mm sepia bromide emulsion prints. Using a scalpel capable of separating the two faces of a banknote, Roger Bolton separated the emulsion of the bromides in one piece from their substrates, and then mounted the emulsions on to the album leaves before adding box-rule surrounds and new pasted-down typeset captions. 

THE PHOTOGRAPHS (only some of which are included in the images)

  1. General view of Bhavnagar from Chadika Hill
  2. Nilam Bagh Palace, residence of H H the Majarajah Saheb
  3. New Pavilion in Nilam Bagh Gardens
  4. The great Tamarind tree in Nilam Bagh Gardens
  5. The Nagar Sreet [with carriages and pedestrians]
  6. The Moti Bagh Palace
  7. The [beautifully furnished] Drawing Room of the Moti Bagh Palace
  8. The Ganga Jalia Tank [reservoir]
  9. Gondolwali Chatri in the Ganga Jalia Tank
  10. The Peile Gardens
  11. Statue of H H Maharajah Shree Takhatsingjee, C S S I, in the Peile Gardens
  12. The Chick House (Fernery) in the Peile Gardens
  13. The Samaldas College
  14. The Takhatsingjee Hospital (front view)
  15. The Takhtsingjee Hospital (back view)
  16. The Jasanath Templ
  17. The Takhteshwar Mahadco Marble Temple
  18. The High School
  19. The High Court
  20. The Anglo-Vernacular Boys' School
  21. The Barton Library
  22. The Percival Fountain
  23. The Jail
  24. Main Entrance to the Old Durbar
  25. Beautifully Carved Balcony and Window in the Old Durbar
  26. Panwadi Guest House
  27. The Wghawadi Garden
  28. The Goarishunker Lake and Water Works
  29. Sundar Abbas Bungalow
  30. The Percival Market
  31. Old Carved Balcony of a House in the Gogo Gate Road 
  32. The Bunder and Light House
  33. The Bunder
  34. The Ruwapari Temple ("a very ancient temple")
  35. Hathab Palace
  36. State Elephants
  37. General View of Sihor
  38. Mausoleum of Prince Bhowsingji in Sihor
  39. Statue on a Plinth of the Maharaja of Bhavnagar [other lettering indistinct]

CONDITION. The process of lifting the emulsions from their substrates has left a very few small flaws in the pasted-down images. There is no other damage and the new album is complete and otherwise as-new.

DELIVERY. Should the buyers of the two Bhavhagar albums be located in India, the owner is prepared to deliver them personally for the same cost as a normal service.

  • Jacket Condition: Clear plastic - Fine
  • Binding Condition: Fine
  • Overall Condition: Fine
  • Size: 295 x 395 x 60; 4.5 kg
  • Sold By: Fontein Books
  • Contact Person: Richard Proctor-Sims
  • Country: South Africa
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Telephone: 051 773 0050/048 079 546 4032
  • Preferred Payment Methods: Eft (South Africa), SWIFT (rest of world), or $ checks for US or Australian buyers
  • Trade Associations: AA Approved


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