A group of three early 20th century Latin American photograph album portfolios,
Max T. Vargas and others. Collected by Arthur George Keith-Falconer, 10th Earl of Kintore
Lot includes three albums: 1. An album of 37 gelatin silver print photographs by Maximiliano (Max) T. Vargas (1874-1959) dating to 1908. Falconer 1908 penned to the front free end board. Max Vargas is considered the initial well spring of documentary photography in southern Peru. He began his celebrated career at the early age of 16, participating in the then thriving art scene in and around his home city of Arequipa. Vargas later studied in Paris then returned to Arequipa where he opened a formal photo studio as well as operated a thriving photo print and postcard business. His son was Alberto Vargas (1896-1982) of the famed Vargas Ladies Pin-Up paintings and illustrations that regularly appeared in Esquire and Playboy magazines.
The Vargas photographs and others collected here by Keith-Falconer span both urban and rural vistas as well as archaeological sites in Southern Peru and into the altiplano of Bolivia. The photographic prints are laid to stiff album boards and measure 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 in.(16 1/2 x 21 1/2 cm.) prints. Bound in full maroon leather covered boards; considerable wear and loss present to the spine panel as well loosening to the front and rear hinges; interior and photographs are generally clean and in very good overall condition.
The second album continues the ca. 1908 South American travels of the Keith-Falconers with over 200 photographs from southern Peru and Bolivia passing through Chile to the south, with touches into Paraguay and Argentina, mostly urban an archaeological sites are the subject matter for most of the images, but with some intense interest in the existing and developing railroad lines of the time.
The third album dated earlier than the previous (1898) enters the South American continent via Caracas, Venezuela with a 15 photos of mostly rural railway lines there and environs; followed by 12 images from Haiti in and around Port au Prince; then off to Guadalajara and Mexico City and south into the southern state of Oaxaca (57 photos) to the ancient archaeological sites Monte Alban and Mitla. Bound in full black calf covered boards; considerable wear and loss present to the spine panel as well loosening to the front and rear hinges; interior and photographs are generally clean. Most of the photos in these albums are laid to stiff album boards and are meticulously hand captioned underneath, some dated.
largest 11 x 15 x 3in ( 28 x 38 x 8cm)