Images approx. 13.5x19.8 cm. (5½x7¾") or reverse, on both sides of larger card mounts; disbound from an album with remains of cloth hinge along one edge. Some captioned in the negative, some with ink captions in lower margins, a few with mounted typed captions. A few are signed Andrew (Thomas Andrew, 1855-1939) in the negative, though others are known to be from his body of work.
Fascinating and quite rare series of photographs of Samoa at the end of the 19th century, when geo-global rivalries sparked civil unrest in Samoa and open hostilities between the United States, Germany, and Great Britain. A number of the photographs date from 1889, when the German and American fleets, poised for action, were destroyed by a typhoon, necessitating an armistice that was to last a decade. In 1899, the conflict once again came to a head, with open if brief warfare before peace prevailed, and Samoa was divided between the United States and Germany, with Great Britain picking up a few stray islands in the Pacific. Most of the photographs chronicle this latter quarrel, and the American troops involved in it. Included are views of "Admiral Kimberly's flagship Trenton with the Vandalia sunk alongside, 16 March 1889"; "Ships in Apia harbor before the hurricane of March 15, 1899"; "Bombardment at Apia"; graveyard of American sailors killed in 1899; "Apia, Samoa, Hulk of Adler in 1899"; over a dozen natives standing near earthworks holding rifles at the ready; "U.S Entrenchments Mulinuu" with a dozen or so soldiers with rifles and machine guns; and more.
Condition:
Some fading and soiling, mounts a bit warped, still very good overall, quite uncommon and of great historical interest.