PLEASE NOTE. These photographs are both on the same mount. One is on the the front, the other on the back.
1) This is a 19th century photograph with many textures. There’s the serenity of the pool of water, and the flowing water in the foreground. There’s the flora, the rocks, and the hills. And there’s the man wearing a turban, with his feet in the water, seemingly at peace with the universe. Caption at lower right of photo: 345 La fontaine d'Elisee Palestine." Photographer mark at lower left of photo: "Bonfils."
Size of photo: Approximately 8 7/8 x 11 inches. Condition of photo: Some light soiling and foxing. Discoloration along bottom edge. Appearance: Very good tones. Excellent composition. As mentioned above, many textures. A gorgeous scene.
2) Here we have another 19th century photograph. This one has children and animals in the foreground, someone walking in the middle, the "JORDAN HOTEL" in the background, and then mountains beyond. Caption at bottom of photo: "906 Vue generale de Jericho prise de la plaine." Photographer mark at lower left of photo: "Bonfils." Handwritten on mount in pencil: "Jericho Plain."
Size of photo: Approximately 8 5/8 x 11 inches. Condition of photo: Some soiling and light foxing. Appearance: Very good tones. Very good depth of field. Excellent composition encompassing a large area.
THE MOUNT. Size: Approximately 10 7/8 x 14 inches. Condition: 2 punched holes on 1 side. Wear at corners. Both sides have soiling, foxing, and some discoloration.
BONFILS. "Félix Adrien Bonfils (8 March 1831 – 1885) was a French photographer and writer who was active in the Middle East. He was one of the first commercial photographers to produce images of the Middle East on a large scale and amongst the first to employ a new method of colour photography, developed in 1880. He was born in Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort and died in Alès. Félix worked as a bookbinder. In 1860, he joined General d'Hautpoul's expedition to the Levant, organised by France following the massacre of Christians in the civil conflict between Christians and Druze in Mount Lebanon and Damascus. On his return to France, it is thought that Félix was taught the heliogravure printing process by Abel Niépce de Saint-Victor and opened a printing office in Alès in 1864. Soon after returning from Lebanon, he became a photographer. In 1857, he married Marie-Lydie Cabanis. When his son, Adrien, fell ill, Félix remembered the green hills around Beirut and sent him there to recover, being accompanied by Félix's wife. The family moved to Beirut in 1867 where they opened a photographic studio called 'Maison Bonfils.' Maison Bonfils produced thousands of photographs of the Middle East. He worked with both his wife and his son. Their studio became 'F. Bonfils et Cie' in 1878. They photographed posed scenes, dressed up in Middle Eastern regalia, and also stories from the Bible. Bonfils took photographs in Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Greece and Constantinople (now Istanbul). While Bonfils produced the vast majority of his work, it is known that his wife, Lydie also made some of the studio portraits, especially those of Middle Eastern women, who were more inclined to pose for a female photographer. Bonfils was amongst the first photographers to employ the new technique of Photochrom, a photographic colour printing technique, developed in 1880. Maison Bonfils was one of the most prolific studios in the Middle East in the late 19th-century." (source: Wikipedia)