Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 1 — Photochrom Prints, 1890s-1900s

This is the first of what I hope will be a long-running feature on the site. Each Wednesday I’ll post a handful of vintage photographs that strike my fancy. Some weeks there will be a theme, others not so much. If you have any subjects you’d like me to look for, or have photos you’d like to share, let me know!

This week’s collection is drawn from the Photochrom Print Collection on the Library of Congress website. From the site:

The Photochrom Print Collection has almost 6,000 views of Europe and the Middle East and 500 views of North America. Published primarily from the 1890s to 1910s, these prints were created by the Photoglob Company in Zürich, Switzerland, and the Detroit Publishing Company in Michigan. The richly colored images look like photographs but are actually ink-based photolithographs, usually 6.5 x 9 inches.

Like postcards, the photochroms feature subjects that appeal to travelers, including landscapes, architecture, street scenes, and daily life and culture. The prints were sold as souvenirs and often collected in albums or framed for display.

Arab school of embroidery - Algiers, Algeria

Arab school of embroidery – Algiers, Algeria (c. 1899)

Arrowmaker, an Ojibwa brave (c. 1903)

Arrowmaker, an Ojibwa brave (c. 1903)

Opening of the Kiel Canal, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Opening of the Kiel Canal, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany (1895)

Str. "City of Erie," Cleveland and Buffalo Line

Str. “City of Erie,” Cleveland and Buffalo Line (c. 1900)

Market Street - Goslar, Hartz, Germany

Market Street – Goslar, Hartz, Germany (c. 1890s)

Mostar (Turkish quarter), Herzegovina, Austria-Hungary

Mostar (Turkish quarter), Herzegovina, Austria-Hungary (c. 1890s)

Windsor, Boulter's Lock, London and suburbs, England

Windsor, Boulter’s Lock, London and suburbs, England (c. 1890s)

Russian types of Tartar, (i.e., Tatar), women of the Caucasus, Russia

Russian types of Tartar, (i.e., Tatar), women of the Caucasus, Russia (c. 1890s)