From the Scottish Rite Museum on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles, California. Includes a signed letter from well known member A. Geo. Diack. Letter reads "While on duty with the Navy 2 1/2 years (1919 to 1921) in Constantinople an assistant postmaster gave me this album as we were jointly working photographing Mosques and other places of interest in that area. The original photographer is of course unknown. Originally the album was probably in the archives of the Sultans as the gold insignia on the cover is the official seal of the Sultan - it originated as the imprint of an open hand and was embellished to its present form. Photo numbers 19 to 40 are priceless as photographically they are what is known as the "wet plate" process in which the photographer would wet a sheet of glass with collodian - put it in the camera and take the picture as soon as possible thereafter - but the edges of the plate would dry leaving a reticulation on the outer edges, which are the "finger prints" of the wet plate process. This process was invented in 1851 and reached its "flower" during our Civil War. "Dry plates" were invented in 1880 and by 1890 the wet plate process was abandoned. Photos other than 19 to 40 are the dry plate process nd were probably taken between 1890 and 1910. During the 50 years these have been in my possession they have been through two fires and one flood - so the cover is pretty well shot, but the photos are intact". Signed A. Geo. Diack. Estimate $6,000 - $10,000

 

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