The Abu Album, 1895-96. [Title on upper cover.] Mhow, Central India [now Dr. Ambedkar Nagar]: Herzog and Higgins, [1895-96]. Large oblong 4to (358 x 485mm), average size of photographs 280 x 210mm. Text leaf printed in red and blue with a gold initial, 43 mounted silver gelatin photographs including a double-page "Panorama of Abu looking North from Jeypore House" [counted as one], each photograph captioned in manuscript, with two additional mounted photographs at the end, the first captioned, "The Interior of the Abu Church. Memorial Tablet to Col. Walter", the second, a RARE early photograph of two schoolgirls' cricket teams, some of the players holding cricket bats, captioned, "The Ladies of Abu v The Lawrence School Girls, played at Abu, May 1st 1895", with the names of each player added in manuscript beneath, including one "Miss Abbott", probably the daughter of the album's recipient (without a title page, as issued, the endpapers and text leaf spotted and lightly browned, some marginal spotting and staining to the mounts, but the photographs largely unaffected, text leaf a little frayed, some tissue guards lacking). Original black morocco "Bound at Education Society's Press, Byculla" [label], lettered and ruled in gilt, with cornerpieces in blind, gilt edges (rubbed, mainly at corners, a few scuff marks to the upper cover, some scratching and white-ink spotting). PRESENTATON COPY, the front free endpaper inscribed, "Presented to Colonel H. B. Abbott [i.e. Henry Byam Abbott (1843-1914)] as a mark of friendship by his sincere friend H. H. Maha Rao of Sirohee [sic], Kaishree Singh, Dated Sirohee, 30th August 1896." The Maharao of Sirohi, Sir Kaishree Singh-ji Bahadur (1857-1920), ruled over the Sirohi Princely State, including Mount Abu, from 1875 until his death in 1920. Also included in the lot is a mounted photograph portrait by Johnston & Hoffmann, Calcutta, inscribed, "Your sincere friend, [?]Bhawaris Singh, 25.12.[?]1910." The printed text leaf at the front of the album, headed "Abu or Ar-Budha", states: "This isolated mountain is situated in the Native Rajput State of Sirohi, the Chief of which belongs to the Deora branch of the Chohan clan of Rajputs. At its summit it is about 14 miles long from north to south, and it varies in breadth from about 2 to 4 miles. Guru Sikar, its highest point, is 5,653 feet above sea-level, but the southern portion, where the Sanitarium and Station are, is not more than 4,000 feet. For ages Abu has been held sacred by Hindus and Jains as the abode of gods, sages, and holy men, hence its Sanscrit name of Ar-Budha, or 'Mountain of Wisdom'. Colonel Todd was the first European to visit it in 1822, and it began to be used as a Sanitarium for British troops in 1840; three years afterwards the first barracks were built, and about the same time the Agent to the Governor-General for Rajputana first made it his headquarters. At the present time the Sirohi and other Chiefs of Rajputana, as well as many Europeans, use Abu as a summer-resort ... Many of these places of interest will be found depicted in this book." RARE. Please note that every photograph in the album is illustrated, with some photographs illustrated more than once. With J. G. Bartholomew's Thacker's Reduced Survey Map of India (Calcutta & London, 1907, large coloured lithographed map mounted on linen, folding into original blue cloth folder, signed on the front pastedown, "Henry Byam Abbott, April 1907"). (2)
