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Two vols. Oblong 8vo. 8.5 x 5 in. [64; 69 leaves (unnumbered).], including 2 calligraphic titles, 63 & 68 platinum print matte finish photographs, w/ images sized from 2 x 3 in. up to 3.25 x 3.75 in. on 4.75 x 7 in. prints, all expertly hinged at gutter margin (a few w/ pencil annotations on versos, occasional light toning from the platinum salt emulsions coating the papers). Uniformly bound in striking full green morocco bindings by Zaehnsdorf, gilt ruling on covers, gilt inner dentelles, 5 raised bands on spines, title lettering, ownership & dating in gilt, a.e.g., marbled endpapers (very slight shelfwear, incremental rubbing at corners), still a NF set. An exceptional pair of automobile travel albums composed of platinum print photographs by Dr. E. Stevens, apparently presented to fellow Royal Photographic Society member, and platinum photograph enthusiast, H.W. Child. The motor car was a grey 1912 35 CWT Delaunay-Belleville, depicted in 15 of the images, bore the GB License Plate of BP1945, registered in 1912 to Charles Stevens, c/o Dr. Stevens of Sarcelles, Horsham, West Sussex July 4, 1912. The Delaunay-Belleville in the Brass Era was one of the most expensive and prestigious touring cars for travelers, and enthusiasts, whose owners at the time included Evalyn Walsh McLean, original owner of the Hope Diamond, as well as Mann, who traveled "Round the World" in 1912 in a similar model. The intrepid travelers clearly intended to photograph and put their new motor through its paces, traveling about 3000 miles. The album opens with photos of the auto loaded at Portsmouth, and by ferry to Le Havre, and then driving down through Normandy, Alencon, Le Mans, Tours, Bordeaux, and onto Biarritz. The tour extended across the Pyrenees into Spain visiting San Sebastian, followed by drives to Pau, Lourdes, Toulouse, Narbonne, and then along the South of France into Italy. The drive was not without pitfalls as they suffered punctured tires, with two different images showing repairs, one with a crowd, as well as the photo waiting for a massive rock slide of giant boulders fallen onto the roadway, and being removed by wooden wheelbarrows. They continued their tour across the Alps into Switzerland, with views of the travelers at a Swiss border station, and then capturing scenic vistas, and driving onto Salzburg & Linz. One of the images captures advertising and awning of a "Buchdruckerei" specializing in photographic books, supplies, and photo albums. At that point the motorists had reached the most Eastern point, and drove along the Danube route crossing overland to the river Necker, Heidelberg, and finally into the Netherlands, with visits of Amsterdam, Haarlem, often with picturesque images capturing the Dutch in their iconic wooden shoes, windmills, canals, and even electric railways. One particular image documents the "Art Store" selling Volendam silver & brass, and antiques. The final image shows the car being loaded back on the steamship to England from Rotterdam. The platinum photographs were processed by James A. Sinclair & Co., Ltd., at 34 Haymarket in London, specializing in photographic prints & equipment, and at the time the Platinum prints were Alfred Stieglitz's process of choice, celebrating the images for their aesthetic qualities, and permanence. As the Platinum prints were printed direction on coated paper with platinum salts, the image was absorbed directly into the paper, creating a softer, and less-detailed image which was quite durable. Dr. Stevens (fl. 1910-1918), who during World War I served as surgeon with the Royal Army Medical Corps, joined the Royal Photographic Society in 1915, and exhibited three of his photographs presumably from this excursion, including "In the Paese," "Making Port, Concarneu," and "Santa Maria della Pace, Lago di Como." Child (b. 1859) was a very successful merchant, who by 1897 was also an active member of the Royal Photographic Society, Platinum print enthusiast, and automobile travele.
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