Author: Muller, Julius. [attributed to].
Title: Original albumen cabinet-photographs: Sugarcane-plantation in Suriname [&] Grote Combeweg in Paramaribo.
Description: Paramaribo, [ca. 1898]. Two albumen photographs [sizes: 22,5 x 27,8 cm. & 14,0 x 22,0 cm.], skillfully matted and detached from original boards. * Extremely rare and early photograph of women walking on a road in between plantations and another rare photograph depicting the road leading out of Paramaribo as seen from the south. These albumen photographs are amongst the earliest examples of (outdoor-)photography in Suriname. Considering their age, topic, technique and provenance, we attribute these photographs to Julius Muller, one of the pioneers of photography in Suriname. The photographs have been skillfully matted with acid-free materials and have been detached from their original boards. Their condition is good, considering their age: the surfaces of the photographs are slightly wrinkled and it has some sl. fraying on some of the edges. The impressions are still crisp and strong. -- Julius Muller (1846-1902) was a 'selfmade'-man who has left his traces in his native country as explorer, cartographer, district commissioner and member of the colonial assemblee. He became one of the earliest photographers of Suriname, almost exclusively photographing outside scenery. Muller's photographs are mostly kept in collections such as the Tropical Institute (KIT) and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam; and therefore rarely appear on the market. Cf. Steven Vink, Suriname door het oog van Julius Muller, Fotografie 1882-1902, KIT Uitgeverij Amsterdam 1997.

Keywords: Ethnography Latin America Suriname Photography ?Fotografie / 19e eeuw Suriname Etnografie Latijns-Amerika Fotografie 19e eeuw Suriname