Lot Essay
Six views of Malta including the harbour, Santa Barbara Bastion, Strada Vescovo, the Auberge de Castille and the Porta Reale; the remainder Egyptian and Nubian views of subjects identified as at Alexandria, Cairo, the Pyramids, Essioot, Girjeh, Denderah, Ekhmim, Karnak, Luxor, Medinet Tabou, the Ramasseum, the Colossi (collaged over a tinted background), Gourneh, Erment, Edfou, Koum Ombos, Philae, Gertasse, Kalabshe, Dakkeh and Aboo Simbel. Other subjects include the Nile, tree studies, a raft of water jars, a water-wheel and a peasant's house near Wadi Halfeh.
Robert Murray was a civil engineer from Edinburgh, who worked in Russia, Malta and Egypt. While in Egypt he was chief engineer to the Viceroy. He was in Malta in 1852 when his first child was born. He exhibited twenty-four photographs of Egypt and Malta at the 1856 Annual Exhibition of the Photographic Society of Scotland in Edinburgh and a complete set of Egyptian views in 1857 at the Annual Exhibition of the Birmingham Photographic Society. J. Hogarth of London also published a Catalogue of One Hundred and Sixty-Three Photographic Views from Malta, Alexandria, Cairo, Thebes, Upper Egypt, and Nubia By Robert Murray, C. E. Member of the Egyptian Society of Cairo, And late Chief Engineer to His Highness the Viceroy of Egypt., 1856. The catalogue descriptions were written by Joseph Bonomi. In 1858, The Athenaeum printed an advertisement for the photographs as well as a glowing review which appeared in June. This began All previous photographs of Egypt "go down" before the large and finely wrought views published by Robert Murray...for whom that learned dweller among the tombs, Mr. Bonomi, has written a Catalogue. These views consist of all the best ancient and Saracenic remains in the Valley of the Nile...
It is tempting to think that the publication of this catalogue inspired Francis Frith to publish the photographs he took on his first trip to Egypt in 1857-58. It is not known whether Murray met Frith, but he did meet his travelling companion Francis Wenham, who had designed a motor-boat for use on the Nile. The boat was sold to the Viceroy on Murray's advice.
Murray also became a member of The Amateur Photographic Association, applying for membership in 1862, and in his later years gave many talks to the Edinburgh Photographic Society. The climax of his Scottish years was a magnificent album of Scottish views presented to Queen Victoria and now in Windsor Castle.
The precise dating of the above album is difficult. The prints appear to have been printed on at least two different papers and the albumen coating varies from a thin, probably hand-coated surface to a smoother and more likely commercially-produced surface.
Robert Murray was a civil engineer from Edinburgh, who worked in Russia, Malta and Egypt. While in Egypt he was chief engineer to the Viceroy. He was in Malta in 1852 when his first child was born. He exhibited twenty-four photographs of Egypt and Malta at the 1856 Annual Exhibition of the Photographic Society of Scotland in Edinburgh and a complete set of Egyptian views in 1857 at the Annual Exhibition of the Birmingham Photographic Society. J. Hogarth of London also published a Catalogue of One Hundred and Sixty-Three Photographic Views from Malta, Alexandria, Cairo, Thebes, Upper Egypt, and Nubia By Robert Murray, C. E. Member of the Egyptian Society of Cairo, And late Chief Engineer to His Highness the Viceroy of Egypt., 1856. The catalogue descriptions were written by Joseph Bonomi. In 1858, The Athenaeum printed an advertisement for the photographs as well as a glowing review which appeared in June. This began All previous photographs of Egypt "go down" before the large and finely wrought views published by Robert Murray...for whom that learned dweller among the tombs, Mr. Bonomi, has written a Catalogue. These views consist of all the best ancient and Saracenic remains in the Valley of the Nile...
It is tempting to think that the publication of this catalogue inspired Francis Frith to publish the photographs he took on his first trip to Egypt in 1857-58. It is not known whether Murray met Frith, but he did meet his travelling companion Francis Wenham, who had designed a motor-boat for use on the Nile. The boat was sold to the Viceroy on Murray's advice.
Murray also became a member of The Amateur Photographic Association, applying for membership in 1862, and in his later years gave many talks to the Edinburgh Photographic Society. The climax of his Scottish years was a magnificent album of Scottish views presented to Queen Victoria and now in Windsor Castle.
The precise dating of the above album is difficult. The prints appear to have been printed on at least two different papers and the albumen coating varies from a thin, probably hand-coated surface to a smoother and more likely commercially-produced surface.