Saint-Sépulcre. (Interior View of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre). Original vintage photograph.

Zangakis, George and Constantinos; Adelphoi Zangaki; Brothers Zangaki; active 1860-1890

Published by Jerusalem: Circa 1860-1870s

About this Item

Albumen-Silver print. 22 x 28 cm. Mounted on card 31 x 38 cm. Titled and signed in the image and on the mount in ink From a collection of photographs of the Middle East by the Adelphoi Zangaki = Zangaki Brothers.Little is known about the Zangaki brothers, except their initials, C. and G., and that they worked out of Port Said and Cairo from around the 1860s through to at least the 1890s.]Many of the Zangaki photographs are signed with a brother's initial and/or a place of business, e.g., "C. Zangaki" or "Zangaki, Cairo" or occasionally "A.Zangaki".Until relatively recently it was believed that "A.Zangaki" was a single photographer. However, with the discovery of a signboard with the name "Adelphoi Zangaki", it was recognised that these were brothers.Ibn al Haithan Many scholars also believe that their names were George and Constantinos (or Costas). Some scholars believe that they were born on the island of Milos, while others have suggested that they were Cypriot. However, no definitive evidence pertaining to their place and date of birth is extant. How they came to learn photography is also unclear. However, shortly after their arrival in Egypt they had become established photographers with a studios in Cairo and Port Said.By the 1850s, tourist travel to Egypt created strong demand for photographs as souvenirs. A small group of early photographers, mostly of French origin, made their way to Cairo and the Nile Valley to capitalise on this demand. These pioneering photographers included Félix Bonfils (1831-1885); Gustave Le Gray (1820-1884), brothers Henri and Emile Bechard (active 1860-1890); the British-Italian brothers Antonio Beato (c. 1832?1906) and Felice Beato (1832-1909) and Hippolyte Arnoux (active between 1860 and 1890).[6]Photographs taken by the Zangaki brothers are commonly found in tourists' albums assembled in the Middle East in the second half of the 19th-century. From their Port Said studio, they were ideally situated to sell to Europeans visiting Egypt as part of a Grand Tour The Zangaki brothers traveled along the Nile accompanied by a horse-drawn darkroom wagon to document the Egyptian scenery, architecture and events. Images included views of the pyramids, e.g., Cheops or the Sphinx and the cities, e.g., Suez or Alexandria, as well of Egyptians going about their daily lives, e.g., a teacher and pupils, men by the Nile, or women at home.

Seller Inventory # 51-3570

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Saint-Sépulcre. (Interior View of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre). Original vintage photograph.
• Publisher: Jerusalem: Circa 1860-1870s
• Condition: Good
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Photography