Reisalbum met foto's van Jeruzalem en andere bijbelse plaatsen c. 1860 - 1900

This is a photograph album cover depicting Jerusalem, made by Maison Bonfils. It is carved from a single plank of wood. The photograph albums were sold as souvenirs of the Holy Land. The dense materiality of the wood gives the album its substantial presence. Look closely, and you’ll see how the artist used the wood grain to their advantage, creating a sense of depth and texture. The carving process itself would have been labor-intensive, requiring skill and precision to translate the image onto the wood surface. The tools and techniques used would have been those of a trained woodworker. The album cover challenges the traditional divide between art and craft, design and industry. It reminds us that even seemingly simple objects can be imbued with meaning and skill.