Approx. 75 albums of pressed flowers in olivewood bindings. Various publishers, Jerusalem, Beirut and other places [ca. late 19th century – first decades of the 20th century].
Large collection of souvenir albums from the Holy Land, containing pressed-flower arrangements, accompanied by color lithographs and photogravures of many important sites throughout Palestine and the Levant – Jerusalem, Jaffa, Haifa, Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee, and more. The albums are bound in decorated olivewood bindings, some carved and inlaid, others color-printed. Various sizes – some large-format albums, though most are small-format.
Pressed-flower albums first appeared in Palestine towards the end of the 19th century, and very quickly achieved unusual popularity. The growing flow of tourists to the Near East greatly increased the demand for souvenirs and decorative items, and by the early 20th century these albums had become highly sought-after objects, considered both prestigious and authentic. They generally combined a variety of traditional crafts of the Holy Land – olivewood carving and inlay, pressed and decoratively arranged flowers, and later also various printing techniques. The present collection presents a broad, diverse and distinctive survey of this craft.
For reference, see Hebrew description.
Approx. 75 albums in olivewood bindings. Size and condition vary. Overall fair to good condition. Stains, creases and tears. In several albums, damage to the pressed-flower arrangements. Some bindings detached or partly detached. Cracks and fractures to some of the bindings. Some interleaving tissue leaves lacking.
