This probably unique cyanotype comes from the series made by Jules Couyat (alias Jules Barthoux) and Pierre Montet for their book: "Les inscriptions hiéroglyphiques et hiératiques du Wâdi Hammâmât". The photographs they made were used to help translate the inscriptions. Couyat's and Montet's collection of documents was essential to the publication of their groundbreaking book in 1912. (see last image for reference only)

The pharaohs, from the earliest times, organized expeditions to Wadi Hammamat order to extract the precious metals from nearby mines. Egyptian caravans were composed of men of all trades: workers, artisans, architects, sculptors and scribes, who were also responsible for scribing on the walls of this valley the details of their campaign. In essence, the Wadi Hammamat is a huge stone book, which was known to Egyptologists from the early twentieth century. The archeologist Jules Couyat returned to the site in March 1911 accompanied by Pierre Montet, a French specialist in hieroglyphs. They carried the equipment necessary to photograph the inscriptions on the walls of schist and reported on their finding upon their return to France. It was the first time that these walls were photographed. [Alex Novak]

This makes it a very interesting scientific document that illustrates the early use of photography to do research and to publish in a book.

The cyanotype is numbered "104" in ink under the image and in pencil on the verso. In the upper right corner "PL. XXXV" refers to the series in the book. The photographed stone is numbered "68" with chalk. Printed from a glass plate negative.

ca.