Antiquarian Auctions

Auction #115 begins on 30 May 2024

A.P.Cartwright/N.Cowan

The Old Transvaal 1834-1899

Published: Purnell & Sons, Cape Town & Johannesburg, 1978

Edition: First Edition

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The wonderful collection of historic photographs of the old South African Republic( De Zuid-Afrkaansche Republiek)and its people which this book presents was put together by Mr Nat Cowan, Custodian of the Bensusan Museum of Photography in Johannesburg. In the course of his researches Mr Cowan noted that the art of photography and the very young republic established by the Voortrekkers beyond the Vaal, were both born at approximately the same time,1839.

This led him to search for the first photographs ever taken in the new country. He found what he was looking for in the work of some itenerant photographers who made their way from the Cape to "the interior" in the 19th century. Here are these early pictures, many of them published for the first time.

The historians of the future will owe a debt of gratitude to Mr Cowan for the skill and infinite care he has put into the task of getting first-class prints from the ancient glass plates(coated with collodion and other chemicals) which photographers used before the "dry plate" was invented. Included in this book are photographs taken during the Republic's campaign against Sekukuni, the Siege of Pretoria in 1880 and the Battle of Majuba.

  • Jacket Condition: Very Good
  • Binding Condition: Very Good
  • Overall Condition: Very Good
  • Size: 22.5 X 29.5
  • Sold By: Quathlamba Winds Books
  • Contact Person: Ian & Yvonne Halford
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Telephone: 01743 361772
  • Preferred Payment Methods: Paypal-Cheques-Direct Transfer to UK Bank.
  • Trade Associations: SABDA


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