Boxed Set of 100 Stereographs on India...
1904
Silver gelatin print mounted on stereoscopic cards

Elmer Underwood (1859-1947) and Bert Underwood [Bert Elias Underwood] (1862-1943)

The collection of 100 stereoscopic views depicts urban and provincial Indian scenes by Elmer and Bert Elias Underwood, contained in a custom-made case in the form of a book entitled India (Volume I and Volume II). Stereocards housed in original mock two-volume bookcase, spine with twin gilt lettering and decoration.

The cards are numbered 1-100 and are each lettered in multiple languages on the reverse (English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Russian) in two volumes. Each pair of views is mounted on stout card (now somewhat bowed) for insertion in a viewer. Each mount is stamped 'Underwood & Underwood, Publishers,' with letterpress caption and serial number. The photos mention copyright dates next to their captions on the recto, dated 1903. The reverse of each mount has a detailed letterpress description of the scene shown in the photograph, copyright dated 1904.

The lot is accompanied by the related book India Through the Stereoscope: A Journey Through Hindostan by James Ricalton [who took the photographs], published in 1907, complete with a booklet titled "Maps and Plans" which is in original brown cloth, titled in gilt to the upper cover and spine, with a pocket on the lower board housing a booklet of 10 maps, 9 of which fold out. In the book, the descriptions are further expanded to several pages per image.

The lot is accompanied by a stereoscope viewer.