Abdul-Hamid II collection of photographs of the Ottoman Empire

These photographic albums portray the Ottoman Empire during the reign of one of its last sultans, Abdul-Hamid II. They highlight the modernization of numerous aspects of the Ottoman Empire. Most of the places depicted are within the boundaries of modern-day Turkey, but buildings and sites in Iraq, Lebanon, Greece and other countries are also included. The images show students and educational facilities, including law, medical and military schools; well-equipped army and navy personnel and facilities; technologically advanced lifesaving and fire fighting brigades; factories; mines; harbors; hospitals; and government buildings. The collection also documents historic Byzantine and Ottoman monuments, mosques, mosaics, fountains, palaces, and mausoleums, and includes panoramic landscapes and urban scenes. Other photographs depict Abdul Hamid's Yildiz Palace, yacht, and horses.Well-known Ottoman commercial photographers such as Abdullah Frères, Sebah & Joaillier, and Phèbus took the bulk of the photographs. Turkish military photographer Ali Rıza Pasa and the Photographic Unit of the Imperial School of Engineering also contributed numerous images.Collection title devised by Library staff.Albums include four major subject categories: Category I: views, buildings, monuments and antiquities (LOTS 9515, 9516, 9517, 9518, 9523, 9524, 9528, 9529, 9532, 9533, 9534, 9535, 9541, 11907, 11910, 11912, 11913); Category II: military, naval, rescue services and military and industrial facilities (LOTS 9521, 9522, 9536, 9537, 9539, 9540, 9543, 9545, 11905, 11906, 11909, 11911, 11914, 11915, 11917, 11918, 11919); Category III: educational facilities (LOTS 9511, 9512, 9513, 9514, 9519, 9520, 9525, 9526, 9527, 9530, 9531, 9538, 9542, 9544, 11908); and Category IV: horses and imperial stables (LOTS 9546, 11916)Photographs are chiefly albumen, some gelatin silver.Please use digital and print surrogates instead originals, following preservation policy.Original albums; Restricted access: Materials extremely fragile; Served by appointment only.Guide to the Special Collections of Prints & Photographs in the Library of Congress / compiled by Paul Vanderbilt. Washington, D.C. : 1955, no. 2Special Collections in the Library of Congress / compiled by Annette Melville. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1980, no. 1Gift; Abdülhamid II; 1893-1894.Collection profile available online http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/ahiihtml/ahiiabt.htmlA set of catalog records describing each item is available through the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting. See http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/lcoa1.aboutAbdul-Hamid II (1842-1918), an avid collector and promoter of photography, appears to have conceived this collection as a portrait of his empire for a western audience. He presented a copy of the survey to the Library of Congress in 1893 or 1894. He also gave another almost identical collection to the British Museum (now in the British Library).Imperial self-portrait: The Ottoman Empire as revealed in the Sultan Abdul Hamid II's Photographic Albums. Edited by Carney E.S. Gavin and the Harvard Semitic Museum. Journal of Turkish Studies, v. 12, 1988. [Cambridge, Mass] : Harvard University, 1988