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- OCT9
Seeing Double? A New Trove of Antique Pictures Uncovered at Emory University -- "Stereographic" Photos 100+ Years Old
Prayers at the Western Wall (Stereograph photos courtesy of the Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of
Theology, Emory University, circa 1900). Note the lack of chairs, benches or dividers because of the
Muslim/Turkish restrictions. Yet men and women generally maintained separate prayer areas.
Anyone who has used a "View-Master" toy will recognize the 3D illusion created by the "stereo" camera. Already in the 19th century photographers were taking stereo pictures which were viewed on a special device. In effect, the two camera lenses captured the view, and the slight angle differences of the right eye and the left eye created a 3D illusion.
19th century stereo camera
The photography company of Underwood & Underwood specialized in publishing stereoscope collections, such as Palestine through the Stereoscope which was sold with a stereoscope, and 200 stereoscopic slides. The photos were taken inJerusalem, Bethlehem, the River Jordan, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, and the Dead Sea between 1895 and 1904, and the accompanying tour book was published in 1914.
A stereoscopic collection
We found the digitalized photos from the Underwood collection in the Emory University'sPitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology. We are thankful to M. Patrick Graham, Ph.D., Professor of Theological Bibliography and Director of the Pitts Theology Library, for permission to reproduce the photos.
"Inside a Jewish synagogue," almost certainly the Instanbouli Synagogue in Jerusalem's Old City (courtesy of
the Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, circa 1900). Compare this
picture to the American Colony photograph with its caption, "One of the oldest in Jerusalem." Almost all of
the Old City's synagogues were razed when the Jordan army captured the Jewish Quarter.This publication has featured several pictures of Jewish money changers in Jerusalem. But the stereograph of this Old City money changer is unique. The sign above the door is in Hebrew/Yiddish and presumably gives the names of the proprietors. But in clearer print are the words בהכשר הרב קוק -- "with the [kosher] approval of Rabbi Kook."
The sign helps us date the picture. Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook arrived in the Holy Land in 1904, so the picture was taken after his arrival and prior to his 1914 departure. During World War I he was in exile in England and Switzerland and returned after the war.
Many of the Underwood photos are identical or similar to the pictures from the Library of Congress' American Colony collection that appear on this site. But some have never been published as part of a history of Jewish life in Palestine in the 19th century.
Money changer inside Jerusalem's Old City Jaffa Gate (circa 1905)
Over the next weeks we will be publishing more of the Emory University collection.1View comments
As we post this feature, the funeral of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is taking place in Jerusalem with more than half a million mourners.
A procession -- but to where?
To mark the sad event, we are reposting a two year old feature. The pictures here were photographed more than 100 years ago in Jerusalem. What was the occasion?
"A Jewish procession to Absalom's Pillar" is the caption on the Library of Congress' photo, which as dated sometime between 1898 and 1946. That's a huge window of time. The procession is walking down a ramp from the southeast corner of the Old City wall into the Kidron Valley. Presumably the hundreds of Jews came out of the Old City through the Dung Gate or the Zion Gate.
Why was there a procession to the tomb of King David's rebellious son, Absalom? It's not a very popular destination for Jerusalemites today. Some historians relate that there was a custom to take children to the shrine and throw rocks at it to remind the children to behave. Were there so many mischievous children? The long dresses on many of the people in the procession suggest many women were also involved.
An enlarged segment of the procession picture
Luckily, the Library of Congress site provides a TIFF download that permits enlarging the photo and provides incredible detail. And the enlargement shows that the procession consisted almost entirely of ultra-Orthodox men wearing their long caftans.
Also fortuitous was discovering another picture elsewhere in the massive Library of Congress collection entitled "Various types, etc. Jewish funeral." It shows a funeral party at the bottom of the Kidron Valley moving up the Mount of Olives. It may very well be the "flip side" of the same procession, with two photographers on either side of the valley. The shadows suggest that the time of day -- morning, with the sun shining in the east -- was nearly the same. The second picture, however, does include women walking up the ramp from the Valley. And yes, the women are Jewish. Despite the dark scarves on their heads, they are neither nuns nor Muslims.
The funeral near Absalom's Pillar 
Women heading back to the Old City
Lastly, while the Library curators recorded a number, 4340, on the first negative, they missed that the second photo, dated between 1900 and 1920, had the number 4343, suggesting that the two were part of a series.This match was pointed out to the curators who will finally pair the two photos after almost 100 years.
Today, this notation appears on the caption: LoC: "May be related to LC-M32-14232 which has "4340" on negative.(Source: L. Ben-David, Israel's History - A Picture a Day
website, August 19, 2011)
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===================================================Reposting: The Library of Congress' photo collection also includes this 1903 (1908?) photo of the "Funeral services for a Jewish Rabbi, Jerusalem."
Is it possible to determine where in Jerusalem the photograph was taken? Most definitely.
1903 funeral in the Old City of Jerusalem The building is the Rothschild building in the Batei Machaseh compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, donated by Baron Wilhelm Karl de Rothschild of Frankfurt. The building still bears the Rothschild family's coat of arms.
The compound was built between 1860 and 1890 to provide housing for Jerusalem's poor. An old lintel stone nearby reads "Shelter home for the poor on Mt. Zion."0Add a comment
- Most of this sites' photographs are found online in the U.S. Library of Congress archives. This notice appears on the Archives' site today:
We will continue to present historic photographs of the Holy Land from private collections that have been shared with us.
Do you have antique pictures of your ancestors in Palestine 100 years ago in your albums and attics that you would like to share?1View comments
- Ruling the British Mandate in Palestine was no easy task.
British troops on patrol at the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem (1938, Library of
Congress archives)
In the 1930s the "Arab Revolt" was a full scale insurrection which had to be crushed. Arab terrorism, roadside bombs, and assassination immersed Palestine into tohuwabohu. Armored vehicles were deployed, thousands of soldiers were brought in, and military aircraft were used to bomb the Arab terrorists.
Particularly after World War II, when the scale of the Holocaust was revealed and Jews were still languishing in Europe, Jewish militias stepped up their attacks on the British authority keeping Jews out of Palestine.
Click on pictures to enlarge. Click on the caption to see the original pictures.
Aftermath of Jewish militia bombing of British
Intelligence HQ at the King David Hotel (1946)
Burned out bus in Haifa (1938)
We were very interested when Paul O. recommended we look at a 1946 British recruitment film encouraging young British World War II veterans to join the British police. How would the recruiters describe the conditions and political turmoil?
For the most part the life in Palestine was presented as idyllic. British officers came home to spend time with their wives and children, and sports activities were available. Scattered within the film were hints of the turmoil, but some of the most strenuous training appeared to be learning how to direct traffic with authoritative hand signals.
According to the Colonial Film website, "The film is intended to recommend the life of a Palestine policeman as a fulfilling career option during ‘peacetime.'"
British police drill at their fort. (1946)
Click here to view the film
\1View comments
- SEP27
A New Source of Historical Films and Photos: The British Imperial War Museum; Presenting General Allenby Entering Jerusalem in 1917
Photographers accompanied the Imperial British Army forces throughout the battles of World War I in Palestine, starting at the Suez Canal in 1915 and continuing through the capture of Damascus in 1918.
The website for British army films taken in Palestine 
Turkish Camel Corps in Be'er Sheva (1917, Library of
Congress archives)
The grand scale of the fighting in Palestine is not fully recognized today even by historians, with attention often focused on the European front. One statistic may put the fighting into perspective: The British army suffered more than half a million casualties; the Turks even more.
The Israel Daily Picture site has presented hundreds of pictures of the fighting between the British Imperial Forces and the Turkish and German forces on the battlefields of Sinai, Gaza, Be'er Sheva, and Jerusalem. Most of the photographs, such as those on this page, were found in the U.S. Library of Congress' American Colony collection.
Click on a picture to enlarge. Click on the caption to view the original picture.
Austrian army enters Jerusalem (1916) 
Turkish troops preparing to attack the Suez Canal 1915
We present below a film from the British Imperial War Museum of British Commander Edmund Allenby's entrance into Jerusalem on December 11, 1917.
According to the synopsis accompanying the film:
General Allenby walking through the Jaffa Gate into the Old City of Jerusalem. Click HERE to view the video
The General entered Jerusalem on 11 December, accompanied by his staff (T. E. Lawrence ["Lawrence of Arabia"] among them), French and Italian officers, and various other international representatives. At the Jaffa gate he was greeted by a guard of Commonwealth and Allied troops; dismounting, he and his comrades entered the city on foot, as instructed. Allenby had been less than fifteen minutes in the city. After 400 years of Ottoman rule, Jerusalem had passed into British hands.
Next: A British Police Recruiting Film for the Palestinian Police Force, 1946: An Incredible Piece of Propaganda0Add a comment
- SEP22
Imagine What the Jewish Temple Looked Like -- Here's a Model Built by Conrad Schick, a Jerusalem Christian, 140 Years Ago
As Jews celebrate the Sukkot holiday around the world, their liturgy reflects the huge role the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem played on this pilgrimage holiday.
"Model of Solomon's Temple and environs" constructed by Dr. Conrad Schick (circa 1870). The photo was probably
taken around 1900 and colorized by photographer Eric Matson some 60 years later [The model is more representative
of Jerusalem in the days of Herod, and not in the days of Solomon.]
"Bring us to Zion, Your city, in glad song, and to Jerusalem the site of your Temple, with eternal gladness." -- From the Musaf service during Sukkot.
Conrad Schick 1822-1901
Jerusalem also attracted many Christians, including Conrad Schick, a German missionary who arrived in 1846. Schick was a self-taught architect, cartographer and archaeologist, and very well-respected by all faiths in Jerusalem. The mark he left on Jerusalem lasts until today, particularly in the buildings and neighborhoods he designed such as the Me'ah She'arim neighborhood and the Bikur Cholim and Sha'are Zedek hospitals. His own home still stands on Hanivi'im (Prophets) Street.
Click on photos to enlarge. Click on captions to view the original picture.
The "German" hospital (1939), now
Bikur Cholim hospital
Schick was also well known for his models of archaeological sites. A respected archaeologist, he would show up at various construction sites and digs to inspect ancient finds. The Muslim authorities permitted him relatively free access to the Temple Mount when they requested his help in renovations. Schick and his student, Jacob Eliahu Spafford, the adopted Jewish-born son of the American Colony founders, are credited with discovering the Silwan Tunnel tablet, credited to King Hezekiah.
Schick's house today
(Magister, Wikipedia)
Below are some of the models Schick built, photographed by the American Colony Photographic Department.
Schick's model of the Tabernacle that served the Israelites in the desert and in Shilo (circa 1900) 
Shick's model of Herod's Temple (circa 1900) 
Shick's model of "Hadrian's Temple and environs" 1View comments
As soon as the Yom Kippur fast day is over many Jews start preparations for the Sukkot (Tabernacles) holiday. It usually involves building a sukka, a temporary structure -- sometimes just a hut -- with a thatched roof, in which Jews eat and often sleep during the seven day holiday.
Bukharan family in their sukka (circa 1900). Note the man on the right holding the citron and palm branch.
(Library of Congress collection) Compare this sukka to one photographed in Samarkand 40 years earlier
The photographers of the American Colony Photographic Department took photos of sukkot structures over a 40 year period, preserving pictures of Bukharan, Yemenite and Ashkenazi sukkot.
Ashkenazi family (circa 1900) in the sukka
beneath the chandelier and picures
Several photographs include the Jewish celebrants holding four species of plants traditionally held during prayers on the Sukkot holiday -- a citron fruit and willow, myrtle and palm branches.
Even though the sukka is a temporary structure, some families moved their furniture and finery into the sukka, as is evident in some of the pictures.
Bukhari Jews, shown in pictures from around 1900, were part of an ancient community from what is today the Central Asian country Uzbekistan. They started moving to the Holy Land in the mid-1800s.
A Yemenite Jew named Yehia
holding the 4 species in the sukka
(1939)
Yehia, the Yemenite Jew pictured here, was almost certainly part of a large migration of Jews who arrived in Jerusalem in the 1880s, well before the famous "Magic Carpet" operation that brought tens of thousands to the new state of Israel during 1949 and 1950.
A more elaborate sukka in the Goldsmidt house (1934)
in Jerusalem. Note the tapestry on the walls
with Arabic script
Exterior of the Goldsmidt sukka in Jerusalem (1934) 
A Sephardi Jew named Avram relaxing in
his Sukka with a friend (1939)
The picture of an elaborate dinner was taken in a very large Jerusalem sukka belonging to the Goldsmidt family. Tapestries and fabrics hang on the wall of the sukka. Close examination shows that the fabric contains Arabic words, even some hung upside down. Several experts were asked this week to comment on the Arabic. One senior Israeli Arab affairs correspondent wrote, "It is apparently some quotes that I can read but do not amount to anything coherent, written in Kufi style of Arabic... [I] would not be surprised if these are Kuranic verses."
Presumably the Goldsmidts and their guests didn't know about the Arabic phrases either.
A reader helped identify the Goldsmidts' building. "The Goldsmidts were friends of ours who lived on Ben-Maimon Street [in Jerusalem]. They had a restaurant [and that explains the diners in the sukka]. Our wedding reception was there. There's a plaque on 54 King George Street that says "Goldsmidt Building."We invite readers to unravel the mystery of the tapestries, translate the phrases, and provide a contemporary picture of the Goldsmidts' building.Click on the photos to enlarge. Click on the captions to see the originals.0Add a comment
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Next: The Walls and Gates of Jerusalem - picture a day
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