Auction 87 - Jewish and Israeli Art, History and Culture
Including: sketches by Ze'ev Raban and Bezalel items, hildren's books, avant-garde books, rare ladino periodicals, and more
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The portfolio comprises 70 photogravures of photographs by Shlomo Narinsky, out of a series of 118 photos published in 1921 under the same name by the Jamal Brothers. Introduction by Tim Gidal. Copy no. 67 out of 220. [Israel; ca, 1980].
Photos include: portrait of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda; portrait of Sarah Aaronsohn; Jewish and Arab figures; Jerusalem and the holy places; cities, important sites and views in Palestine.
Shlomo Narinsky (1885-1960), native of Russia, studied photography in Berlin and immigrated to Palestine in 1905. Settling in Jerusalem, he worked as a photographer and opened his own studio. In WWI he left to Egypt, returning afterwards to Palestine, which he later left again for France. In 1940 he and his wife were arrested and held in concentration camps until 1940, when they were exchanged for a German POW and returned to Palestine. Narinsky passed away in 1960.
Photogravures: approx. 14X9 cm; on 28X22 cm mounts, with tissue guards. Matching box.
1. Postcard with the composite class photo of the first class to graduate from the "Herzliya" Hebrew Gymnasium, comprised of photographs of the school's teachers and directors, surrounded by 23 small portrait photographs – the first graduates of the school, among which are future prime minister Moshe Sharett, future Haganah leader Eliyahu Golomb, future founder of WIZO Tzila Feinberg, Israeli aviation pioneer Dov Hoz, writer Moshe Menuhin, and others.
14X9 cm. Fair-good condition. Warping and minor stains. Blemishes and abrasions to verso and margins.
2. Postcard with the composite class photo of the second class of the "Herzliya" Hebrew Gymnasium. Photographs of teachers, directors, and 31 graduates.
Approx. 9X13.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Blemishes and abrasions to verso and margins.
30 photographs by photographer Avraham Soskin. Palestine, [first decades of the 20th century].
1-16. Sixteen photographs reflecting the different facets of Jewish settlement and activity in Palestine during the first decades of the 20th century: laborers in an orchard, a Purim party at a kindergarten in Tel Aviv, Lord Balfour and his entourage in Tel Aviv [1925], swamp drainage in the Jezreel Valley, tobacco farming at Ben Shemen, work on a dairy farm in a Jewish settlement (apparently Beit Alpha), a plantation and a beehive in Kibbutz Geva, the Roaring Lion monument at Tel Hai and more.
17-30. Fourteen portraits of women, men and children photographed in a studio. Most are divided on verso to be used as postcards, with dedications on verso of some. One of the photographs is signed by the subject ("Prof. A Schor").
26 of the photographs are stamped (most with embossed stamps. Some are stamped on verso. Some have printed labels on the cards on which they are mounted). Three of the photographs are stamped on verso with the stamp of the "Agricultural Museum of the Zionist Organization, Jerusalem" (the museum operated in Jerusalem in the years 1920-1927). In some cases, details were added by hand in the negative or on the photographs.
30 photographs. Size and condition vary.
Avraham Soskin (1881-1963) was born in Russia and immigrated to Palestine in 1905. He settled in the German colony in Jaffa and opened the "Photographia Progress" photography studio together with G. Bruck. In 1914 Soskin moved to 24 Herzl St., where the second floor served as both a photography studio and a home for his family and himself; at this studio, called "Photographia A. Soskin", he worked for 19 years, until 1933 (the year the studio was closed). Soskin, known as the "Photographer of Tel Aviv", was among the most important photographers active in Palestine during the Yishuv period. He is unique in the abundance of photographs he took documenting the first two decades of the first Hebrew city.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.
The photographs depict, among other things: the farm and the eucalyptus orchard in Kvutzat Kineret; a pioneer among palm trees in Degania; different stages of paving a road near Nahalal – transporting rocks with horse carriages, shattering and crashing rocks to gravel with a "new machine"; and more.
Two photographs are signed in the plate: "Zalmania Z. Feigin, Haifa" [Zvi Feigin]. Two photographs are titled in the plate, and all the photographs are titled on the back by hand (German).
Approx. 14.5X9 cm. Good condition. Minor stains and blemishes (mostly to corners, edges and verso). Open marginal tear to one photograph.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.
The photographs depict groups of travelers, many of which carry walking sticks and rucksacks, in various sites in Northern Palestine: the Muhraqa, the Cave of Elijah in Haifa, the fortress of Atlit, Zichron Yaakov wineries, workers' council hall in Hadera, beach in Acre, an automobile with a sign that reads "Bat Galim", and more. Some photographs depict geographer Zev Vilnay in his youth.
The photographs are printed on postcards; most are hand-captioned in margins or verso (Hebrew). Some are placed in an album.
Approx. 14X9 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and blemishes (mostly minor). Album: approx. 21.5X30 cm. Blemishes and wear (mostly to cover).
Enclosed: • Photograph of the football team of the sports club "Maccabi Jaffa" (following the establishment of the city of Tel Aviv, the team was renamed "Maccabi Tel Aviv"). Photographer: Avraham Soskin. [1913]. • Ten photographs of construction workers in various building sites.
In the collection: • 24 photographs of Haifa, including photographs of the Hejaz railway station, the memorial constructed in honor of the train, Haifa bay prior to the construction of the port, HaCarmel Street in Haifa, cemetery for World War I casualties and more. • 17 photographs of Jerusalem – Valley of Josaphat, Nablus Gate, Tiferet Israel synagogue, Allenby hotel, Bezalel buildings, Alliance school, Rachel's Tomb, and more. • Casino Galei Aviv in Tel-Aviv. • Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium in Tel-Aviv. • 29 photographs of colonies and settlements – Kineret; the great yard and the cowshed in Merhavia; the main building and Karl Netter's grave in Mikve Israel; Ben Shemen; Great synagogue; palm tree boulevard and water tower in Rishon LeZion; Rehovot; and more. • Factory for cardboard boxes in Tel-Aviv. • More.
Some of the photographs were retouched by hand, probably in preparation for print. Numerous photographs are captioned on the back, a small number in pen and the majority in pencil (Hebrew and German).
Provenance: archive of Gershon Ben, owner of the advertising agency "Pirsum Ben" (Ben's Advertising in Tel-Aviv.
Enclosed: Gershon Ben's business card.
Average size: 16.5X11.5 cm (one 14X9.5 cm photograph and one 17X14 cm photograph). Good condition. Minor blemishes and tears to a number of photographs. A tear reinforced with adhesive tape to one photograph.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.
1. "Solel Boneh", album with 68 photographs documenting the construction of historical buildings, road construction and manual labor in the 1920s in Palestine. The photographs show, among other things: the construction of the National Library on Mount Scopus; the construction of the Arza sanatorium near Jerusalem; paving of Herzl Street in Tel Aviv; paving of Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv; construction of the Bialik House in Tel Aviv; paving of the Nes Ziona-Rehovot highway; workers at the Dror cooperative carpentry workshop in Tel Aviv; the power plant in Haifa; the power plant in Tiberias; construction of the "big hut" in Degania Alef; the military cemetery in Beersheva; as well as quarries, engineering machines, workers and more. On the first pages are photographs of three hand-drawn diagrams.
2. 21 photographs of sites and figures in Palestine, including: the Old City in Jerusalem; the Tomb of Absalom; interior of Rachel's Tomb; Caesarea; portraits of Jews of various ethnic extractions; and more. Nineteen of the photographs are mounted on card mount. Three are hand-signed by Kottler (in pencil) on the mount.
All photographs are signed in the plate (in Hebrew): "Z. Kottler Press, Jerusalem".
Total of 89 photographs, approx. 11X16 cm (some are smaller). Condition varies. Good-fair overall condition. Blemishes and minor stains to some. Tiny holes to a number of photographs. Album: approx. 24.5X33 cm. Stains and minor blemishes to leaves. The binding has been professionally restored (new spine). Abrasions, stains and blemishes to the binding's original parts. Small holes and minor blemishes to mounts.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.
Among the photographs: Views of the Hula Valley: Cyperus plants on the banks of the Hula Lake, the Jordan River, Ottoman Daughters of Jacob Bridge; Arabs, residents of the Hula Valley: hut constructed of Cyperus mats, fishermen on "papyrus fishing boats", locals ill with Malaria, and more; physician Gideon Mer: treating malaria patients, at work in the Hebrew University's Malaria laboratory alongside his team of researchers, in British army uniform, and more.
Malaria was common in Palestine, spread widely across its urban areas, lowlands and valleys. It was particularly common in the Hula Valley. The Ottomans did little to nothing to contain the disease in Palestine, but as the British conquered the territory, efforts increased. Conducted by the Mandatory government and the Zionist organizations, the struggle grew more persistent and systematic: statistical data was collected, an anti-malaria service was established, and swamp draining operations were being carried out, in an effort to reduce the hatching areas of the Anopheles mosquito, responsible for spreading the disease.
Epidemiologist, physician and world-renowned Malaria researcher Gideon Mer (1894-1961; born in Lithuania), played a significant role in the efforts to eradicate Malaria in Palestine. Owing to his vigorous work, the disease had first disappeared from the Hula Valley, and later – from the entire country.
82 photographs placed in an album, most are mounted to album leaves (one photo detached; some photos partly detached). Size and condition vary (approx. 6X4.5 cm to 16X12.5 cm). Album: 19X17 cm. Stains, creases and tears to some photos. Minor blemishes and abrasions to cover. Album missing part of closure.
• Approx. 20 photographs: shelter for the disabled in Marmorek st. in Tel Aviv, after it was bombed by a Nazi aeroplane (1941); a Jewish youth flying the Israeli flag on top of a utility pole (apparently in Alenby st. in Tel Aviv, following the vote on the Partition Plan, November 29, 1947); a ceremonial formation of "Notrim" (Jewish auxiliaries), taking command of Rosh Pinah's British police station (28 April, 1948); mechanics repairing an Israeli Air Force plane; dance performance on the beach; etc.
Size and condition vary.
• Draft for a photobook. Front cover features a large photograph of a sandy hill with several houses, and the inscription "ISRAEL." The album contains three photomontages (music and dance performances, a visit to the zoo, and the construction of a hut), and photographs in a wide variety of subjects – Tel Aviv Port, Dizengoff square, immigrants camp, industry, and more.
Approx. 25 photographs. Good-fair overall condition. Album: 30X21 cm. Good-fair condition. Many photographs detached. Leaves detached one from the other and from binding. Blemishes and wear. Missing spine.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.
Two different cover sketches for Hugo Bergman's "Palästina heute: Licht und Schatten" ["Palestine: Light and Shadow"; German], by photographer Moshe Raviv-Vorobeichic. Palestine, [ca. 1935].
Photographs, with text and illustrations added by hand.
• Photograph depicting a scaffold builder, painted in blue and white to show also an outline of the map of Palestine, the book's title and the author's name, all in blue and white. • Photomontage pdepicting scaffold builders and a plowed field, with the author's name, the title, the publisher's name and the artist's signature added in blue paint.
"Palästina heute: Licht und Schatten", by Zionist author Hugo Bergman (1887-1940) was published in Tel Aviv in 1935 by Hamatarah.
Two photographs, approx. 21X15 cm. Good condition. Minor blemishes.
Moshe Raviv-Vorobeichic (known also as Moi Ver; 1904-1995), born in the Vilnius Governorate, was a multi-disciplinary avant-garde artist, graduate of the Dessau Bauhaus school, and a pioneer of photomontage. After immigrating to Palestine, he worked as a graphic designer and independent photographer, and freelanced for several Zionist organizations as well as for the Histadrut (General Organization of Workers in Palestine). Raviv was also a founder of the Artists’ Colony in Safed.
Photographs of "Maccabiah" events and sports teams in Palestine, most of them taken during the first and second "Maccabiah". Among the photographs: • Opening ceremony of the first "Maccabiah", 1932. • High Commissioner Arthur Wauchope walking with Tel-Aviv Mayor Meir Dizengoff at the opening ceremony of the first "Maccabiah". • General exercises at the opening ceremony of the first "Maccabiah". • Photographs of delegations from Germany, Czechoslovakia and England marching at the opening ceremony of the first "Maccabiah". • "Maccabi" Poland team, first prize winner for artistic gymnastics in the first "Maccabiah". • Street posters announcing the second "Maccabiah", 1935. • Opening ceremony of the second "Maccabiah". • General exercises in the opening ceremony of the second "Maccabiah". • Motorcycle riding exercises in the second "Maccabiah". • Poster announcing the third "Maccabiah". • Team of sportsmen wearing "Maccabi" uniforms. • A neighborhood football team, Tel-Aviv. Ink-stamped on the back: "Photo-Lev". • and more.
Many of the photographs are titled (mostly on the back), some in print and others by hand.
Approx. 8.5X5.5 cm to 14X8.5 cm. Good overall condition. Some creases, stains and blemishes. Some photographs are trimmed at margins.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.
Prints on thick paper, mounted on paper sheets. Among them: • The Old City of Jerusalem: Nablus Gate, a lane on the way to the Western Wall, Via Dolorosa, and more. • Bethlehem and Hebron. • Portrait of an Arab boy. Nine prints are signed in pencil, "Ganan". Some are captioned by hand.
Alexander Ganan, an Israeli photographer born in Hungary, opened a photography studio in Jerusalem in the early 1930s and specialized in portrait photography and outdoor photography in a romantic-pictorial style. Died ca. mid 1970s.
Ten prints, 12X17 cm. Mounted on paper sheets: 22X29.5 cm. Good condition. Some stains and blemishes.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.