Lot Essay
A sergeant in the Royal Engineers and manager of the Photographic Office of the Royal Engineers' Establishment in 1869, McDonald was assigned to conduct a survey of Palestine in 1864 and Sinai in 1868 with W. Wilson. Of the 264 listed photographs which he produced on his second mission which is considered to be one of the most thorough surveys of this area, only 153 were included in the published volumes. The additional photographs could be purchased separately. Of the photographs in the present group,.... were included in these volumes.