Spectacular Photographs of Egypt by Way of Hamburg

Among the ten boxes of unprocessed materials related to the Kaiser family that were recently donated to the LBI is an album of photographs that appear to depict a trip to Egypt in the 1920s or 1930s. The origin of these photographs is unknown, but they appear to be original prints and bear the stamp of the Hans Breuer photographic studio in Hamburg. The Kaisers hailed from Wittenberge, Germany, and members of the family were involved in the paper manufacturing industry. Some material in the collection refers to plans to invest in a paper mill in Alexandria, Egypt.

In the album, souvenir photographs of Egypt’s iconic sights, possibly taken by commercial studios for sale to tourists or within Europe, appear alongside pictures of what appear to be family members aboard ships and posing with locals. It is unclear whether these photographs are related to the investment plans in Europe, a vacation, or both, but their origin will pose an interesting mystery as the LBI processes the collection.