Album Recuerdo de la Alhambra [title from cover]. Granada: F. Casado (?), ca. 1880. Oblong 8vo, leporello with 12 vintage albumen prints, approx. 17 x 22 cm folded, photos each approx. 12.5 x 17.5 cm, captioned and numbered in the negative.
The Alhambra had fallen into disrepair until its “rediscovery” by travelers including Washington Irving in the early 1830s. The government and private commissions conducted a series of disastrous restorations and reconstructions of the palaces in the 1840s. By the 1880s, it was a popular destination; these photos document its touristic importance as well as the misguided 19th century restorations. They reflect a period of increased European orientalism and particular interest in the Alhambra’s synthesis of Islamic and European styles.
$100
