RCS/Cobham/RCS.Cob.18.121-122 contains:
Y3018A	Through Cyprus with the camera, in the autumn of 1878. Volume 1
Y3018B	Through Cyprus with the camera, in the autum of 1878. Volume 2

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Cobham Collection

Title	Through Cyprus with the camera, in the autum of 1878. Volume 2
Reference	Y3018B
Covering Dates	1878
Extent and Medium	29 mages in 1 volume

Access and Use

The volume is located at: RCS.Cob.18.122.

Further information

Indexed

Index Terms

Asia

Cyprus

RCS/Cobham/Y3018B contains:

Greek monks. St. Pantalemoni [? Saint Panteleimon]. 181 x 120 mm. Autotype. A view showing a group of black-robed monks on a verandah. This photograph may possibly show the monastery of Saint Panteleimon.
Good condition..

Kalapanagiotissa Village [i.e. Kalopanayiotis]. 176 x 115 mm. Autotype. A view looking over the flat-roofed houses perched on the steep mountainside south of Levka.
Good condition..

A dwelling on the highlands of Kalopanagiotissa [i.e. Kalopanayiotis]. 170 x 115 mm. Woodburytype. A view showing a priest and other Cypriots seated outside a small cottage, with a large clay oven in the background: 'This is the abode of a village priest of the Greek Church, whom we see seated in the foreground waiting for a cup of wine which is being poured for his use ... The walls of his dwelling are built of stone, the rafters are pine, and the roof resting upon these is a sort of platform constructed out of brushwood which has been wattled into thatch and coated over with clay ... These rustic abodes charm the eye with their picturesqueness, but they are certainly not calculated to promote the health of their occupants ... Happily, in Cyprus, people can and do live for nine months out of the twelve in the open air' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.31).
Good condition..

A mountain path, near Mount Troodos. 171 x 113 mm. Woodburytype. A view looking along a rock-strewn mountain path on which stands Habib Kuri: 'my dragoman [interpreter] ... a trader of Nicosia ... who proved an honest and agreeable attendant, and spoke intelligible French ...' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.32). With the village of Module in the background.
Good condition..

Women at a well, Levka [i.e. Lefka]. 177 x 115 mm. Woodburytype. A view showing men and women posed in the act of drawing water from a well.
Good condition..

Coming from the well, Levka [i.e. Lefka]. 185 x 112 mm. Autotype. A view showing a woman returning along a village street carrying an earthenware water jar: 'The surroundings of the water-carrier in this picture are peculiarly characteristic. Over a rude frame, supported on posts of pine-wood, an old vine spreads it leaves; on the right is an outhouse made of sun-dried bricks, while in the corner is a woman preparing a partition of wattlework for the new building which we see already half-completed in the distance. The old house at Levka [also known as Lefka] ... is being supplemented by one of more imposing proportions... This rustic hotel is indeed all that was wanted to render Levka one of the most delightful spots in the islands of the Mediterranean' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.34).
Good condition..

The Pines of Olympus (Troodos). 180 x 116 mm. Autotype. A fine landscape photograph showing pines on the slopes of Mount Troodos, with a figure standing beside a felled tree in the foreground: 'Cyprus was anciently famed for the luxuriance of its forests ... This timber has now, alas! almost wholly disappeared, at any rate from the level ground... ; but pine forests may, nevertheless, still be found in the remoter regions to the eastward, as well as on the higher elevations north and south of Mesorea. Many of the trees there attain colossal proportions, and the forests might yet afford an abundant supply of timber for shipbuilding purposes, were it not of far greater importance to leave them undisturbed that so they may [sic] increase the rainfall over the island, and absorb the noxious, fever-breathing gasses with which the atmosphere is occasionally charged' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.35).
Good condition..

Mountaineers. 89 x 110 mm. Woodburytype. A half-length portrait of a seated man from the village of Prodromos: 'The villagers are a robust race, as may be gathered from the two following photographs, the first of which represents one of the chief people of the place, a man who deserves to be rendered famous for the kind manner in which he welcomes the stranger that may enter within his gates' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.36). This man acted as Thomson's guide to the summit of Mount Troodos.
Good condition..

Mountaineers. 84 x 107 mm. Woodburytype. A posed portrait of a man from Prodromos: 'Another Highlander figures in the second plate - a tall, bony man of a most obligingly good-natured disposition. He, however, looked a bold, determined character, whose massive hands and muscular frame would stand him in good stead in carrying out any resolve for good or evil' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.36).
Good condition..

The Summit of Olympus (Troodos). 180 x 120 mm. Autotype. A view showing two Cypriots standing among the rocky scrubland at the summit of Mount Troodos.
Good condition..

A village group, Trashibiola. 158 x 111 mm. Woodburytype. A view showing a group of villagers seated in a paved courtyard in front of a stonewalled house (the principal house in the village). The village is near the town of Paphos. Thomson states that the purpose of the gathering was twofold: to welcome strangers to the village and to discuss a point of law concerning a stray herd of goats (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.38).
Good condition..

Rock-cut tombs, Palaeo-Castro. Plain of Paphos. 178 x 116 mm. Autotype. A view showing the entrance to rock tombs carved into a low rock-face on the plain of Paphos.
Good condition..

The ruins of Neo Paphos [i.e. Nea Pafos, part of Paphos]. 174 x 113 mm. Woodburytype. A very finely composed landscape study of the ruins, with a figure in white in the foreground: 'The most imposing ruin to be found in Neo Paphos is represented in the photograph before us, but the ground everywhere is strewn with the shafts, the capitals, and the bases of pillars, and with heaps of stones, among which may be seen bits of old pottery mingled with fragments of sculptured marble' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.40).
Good condition..

The Plain of Paphos. 180 x 120 mm. Autotype. A view looking over the flat landscape towards distant mountains: 'In the middle-distance of this picture we see a portion of those limestone rocks which the ancients have honeycombed with their tombs, and Ktimu, the provincial capital, stands about half-a-mile further inland. The view shows us, not only the position of the town, but also the general appearance of a Cyprian plain, with its interspersed patches of fallow ground and cultivated fields' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.41).
Good condition..

Limassol [i.e. Lemesós]. 180 x 115 mm. Autotype. A view looking along the rooftops of the town, towards the harbour: 'The town itself is, undoubtedly, the finest in the island. Its houses, when seen from a distance, appear embowered in green, and there is a general air of prosperity about the place which is most refreshing to behold. An imposing array of buildings of honest brick and stone, and an extensive acreage of tiled roofs, suggest both comfort and competence. The view here presented was taken from the top of the Franciscan monastery, where I had been most courteously entertained by the friars' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.42).
Good condition..

The Main Street, Limassol [i.e. Lemesós]. 180 x 119 mm. Autotype. A view looking along the wide, almost deserted street: 'The accompanying view is taken from the front of the Franciscan monastery, looking westward along the main street which runs parallel to the coast. The courts to the rear of the houses on the left face the sea ... The street looks deserted, and is invested with a silence strangely at variance with the business-like aspect and architecture of the town. During the day-time, however, busy traders may be seen through their barred windows or open doorways, bargaining in Oriental fashion, or counting-up their gains ...' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.43).
Good condition..

The Main Street in Limassol [i.e. Lemesós]. 185 x 121 mm. Autotype. A view showing camels seated in the street, with the British Commissioner's house on the left: 'In this spacious thoroughfare we find evidence of the prosperity of the town, and at the same time discover indications of the insecurity which prevailed under Turkish rule, in the strongly-built and barred storehouses that line both sides of the street' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.44).
Good condition..

Famagosta [i.e. Famagusta]. 168 x 102 mm. Autotype. A view looking across small walled fields towards the ruins of St Nicholas' Cathedral, converted to a mosque by the Turks and known today as Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque.
Good condition..

Famagosta [i.e. Famagusta] Harbour. 156 x 100 mm. Autotype. A view looking along the ramparts of the medieval fortress which overlooks the harbour, with fishing boats at anchor in the bay: 'The work of fortifying this stronghold has been carried out with a thoroughness which has defied the inroads of time, so that while the whole town has been laid waste, its outer wall still remains intact. Here and there a thistle or clump of grass has found foothold in some fissure in the massive battlements, but the finely-finished masonry presents few crevices in which even a breeze-blown seed may lodge. The once-famous harbour, however, has been allowed to silt up, and now only affords anchorage for the class of vessels seen in the photograph' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.46).
Good condition..

Ruins at Famagosta [i.e. Famagusta]. 179 x 118 mm. Autotype. A view showing a ruined church in the foreground, with St Nicholas' Cathedral beyond: 'This view was taken at Famagosta from the inner side of the moat and opposite the gateway at the north-eastern angle of the wall. The prominent ruin here depicted was singled out as a good example of the present condition of a multitude of churches that were all gradually overthrown' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.47).
Good condition..

The front of St Katherine's Church (Now a mosque). Famagosta [i.e. Famagusta]. 179 x 119 mm. Autotype. A view showing the west front of St Nicholas' Cathedral (Thomson's use of the name St Katherine for the church has not been found elsewhere, and he may be confusing the Church with St Katherine's, Nicosia, also turned into a mosque): 'The tower on the left is Turkish, and tells us at once that the splendid old cathedral pile has been transformed into a mosque; a motley range of modern hovels have also grown up under the shadow of the church. On the left, for example, stands one of the most imposing specimens of the present architecture of the place. It is a café, propped upon an old Gothic porch and adorned with a flagstaff' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.48).
Good condition..

Entrance to the Cathedral, Famagosta [i.e. Famagusta]. 180 x 115 mm. Woodburytype. A view showing the richly sculptured arches at the entrance to the Cathedral.
Good condition..

A rock-cut tomb. Famagosta [i.e. Famagusta]. 175 x 106 mm. Woodburytype. A view showing the interior of a tomb looking towards the entrance, with a Cypriot seated in the foreground: 'The sepulchre here shown is now half-filled up with rubbish, and the entrance to it is through a porch supported by two pillars cut out of solid rock. The interior is nearly square, and in the sides and back wall are recesses designed for the stowage of bodies; while above these again are sundry small shallow niches' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.50).
Good condition..

Group at Avgoru [? Avgorou]. 165 x 116 mm. Woodburytype. A view showing a Cypriot family posed for the camera inside their home: 'The interiors of the dwellings at Avgoru are poor, and their earthen floors are partly taken up in the storage of produce; nevertheless, their occupants are respectably clothed, and seem to turn their labour to good account, for there is an absence of that squalor and misery which we meet with among the poor in more highly-civilized communities' (Thomson, vol.2, p.51).
Good condition..

The Village Priest, Avgoru [? Avgorou]. 89 x 113 mm. Woodburytype. A fine half-length portrait of the bearded village priest of Avgoru: 'Touching the resources of a papa, or village priest, I was informed by a simple villager that the priest of his parish was a man of wealth, his income would not fall far short of ten shillings a week. Even during our brief stay in the place, we saw quite enough to satisfy us that the pastor represented in this illustration was held in high veneration among his flock, and, so far as we ourselves were concerned, the kindness and courtesy of his welcome left nothing to be desired' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.52).
Good condition..

A Cypriote Boy. 90 x 110 mm. Woodburytype. A half-length portrait of a young boy: 'The boy represented in the second picture is the son of the priest of Avgoru [? Avgorou]. The higher dignitaries of the Greek Church are not permitted to marry; but the papa may be wedded, subject to the condition that the union was effected before his consecration, and that in the event of the death of his wife he shall not marry a second time' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.52).
Good condition..

Mules and donkeys. 90 x 110 mm. Woodburytype. A view showing a Cypriot sitting on a mule: 'Mules for the photographer possess a most peculiar charm, arising from the perfect immobility of their repose when once they have come to a halting-place ... The owner of the donkeys here represented had brought a load of brushwood to town one evening, and, after disposing of it for fuel, was making his way homeward when the camera was brought to bear upon him. Just at the moment when the picture was being taken, the tail of the donkey moved, possibly in token of approval, and hence was lost to posterity' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.53).
Good condition..

Modern female attire in Cyprus. 84 x 115 mm. Woodburytype. A view showing two Cypriot women in skirts in the European style: 'Nowadays, the attire of Cypriote women is frequently so simple as to suggest its being designed for comfort and convenience rather than for aesthetic display. There could, for instance, be nothing more simple or modest than the costumes shown in the accompanying plate. The one worn by the figure in the background is probably a relic of some severe pre-Turkish period, while the other is purely European and singularly devoid of tawdry ornament. For all that, its design well befits the graceful figure of the young Cyprian maid, while its colour sets off her dark eyes and olive complexion' (Thomson 1879, vol.2, p.54).
Good condition..

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