J. Guthrie Watson’s “Circassian” photographs from his “A Journey Across Russia” Album, 1889 J. Guthrie Watson (c. 1850–1913) was an English traveller. A member of the Conservative Club in London, Watson appears to have been a former military officer and was, in his words, “well acquainted with the Caucasus (particularly that portion known as Circassia).” In 1889 he embarked on a journey across the Russian Empire, which included Circassia in the North Caucasus. He published the photo-album “A Journey Across Russia” upon his return to England in 1889. It is not certain how many of the views in this album were photographed by Watson himself. In 1899 he exhibited a collection of photographs at the Anthropological Institute in London. Here are the “Circassian” photographs (albumen prints) from J. Guthrie Watson’s “A Journey Across Russia”. [From the website of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC: [nga.gov/content/ngaweb/research/library/imagecollections/features/watsons_russia.html] 1. Circassian Man and Woman. Plate 66. 2. Circassian Lady [in traditional Circassian male costume]. Plate 67. 3. Russian Lady in Circassian Dress. Plate 65. Circassia was a nation that spanned the east Black Sea coast between the Crimea and the Caucasus. By 1864, this area had been overrun by the Russian Empire—the population decimated and the few survivors refugees in the Ottoman Empire. 4. Mount Elbrus. Panorama (from Georgian perspective). Plate 54. Mount Elbrus is the highest peak in the Russian Caucasus, and the highest mountain in Europe. Review the whole album (109 plates, including cover): [nga.gov/content/ngaweb/features/slideshows/watsons-russia.html]
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 09:19:12 +0000
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