Propylon at the Temple of Horus, Edfu, Egypt. Hugh Stannus, c1935
AA Lantern Slide Archive: Newly Scanned Treasures…
The AA’s archive of architectural lantern slides is one of the largest and most important surviving collections in the UK, dating primarily from the 1920s-40s and consisting of c23,000 images. Phase 1 of a major digitisation project was completed in 2020 (see earlier posts) but further progress has now been made and we are taking the opportunity here to share some new treasures from the collection:
Temple of Hera II, Paestum, Italy. Photographer unknown, 1930s
This initial batch of slides reflects the broadly chronological structure of the collection and is thus dominated by early photographs of the monuments and architecture of Ancient Egypt and Greece – reflecting, of course, the narrow, almost entirely Western centric view of architectural history at the time. Indeed, whilst the slides are now being re-catalogued, the original order, inter-war categorisation, toponymy and terminology is also being preserved alongside, as evidence of the linguistic and classification structure underpinning the collection.
Temple of Amun Re. Detail of Columns at Hypostyle Hall, Karnak. Photographer, Hugh Stannus, 1930s.
Temple of Hathor, Dendera Temple Complex, Egypt. Photographer unknown, c1920s
Arch of Trajan, Benevento, Italy. Photographer unknown, date unknown.
Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania, Tipaza, Algeria. Photographer: Jean Combier, date unknown.
