Aims and objectives
The Egyptian Cinema and Theater Photographs Collection consists of 21 albums featuring 746 black-and-white photographs of films and plays produced between 1913 and 1952. It also includes press clippings, 36 personal photographs of prominent actors of the era a gift from Al Kawakeb magazine, and 20 autographs of Egyptian actors. The collection showcases key figures in the early 20th century artistic scene, including Youssef Wahbi, Naguib El-Rihani, Ali El-Kassar, Tahia Carioca, Zouzou Shakib, and Faten Hamama. In addition to this, the collection features works by leading Egyptian photography studios of the time, such as Studio Armand, Photo Ottoman, Metri Photo Studio, London Studio, Photographie Française, Labonza, and Studio D'art.
This collection is a valuable resource for researchers interested in the history of Egyptian cinema and theater and the evolution of photography in early 20th-century Egypt.
Outcomes
We successfully implemented the project, completing the digitization and cataloging processes. The metadata was delivered to the British Library on a hard drive. After processing and digitizing the collection, it is now stored in the Archives and Special Collections Department manuscript room where environmental conditions are much better than the stacks, as the usage will be limited to the digital copies.
The following Methodology Report was submitted as part of the project outputs:
