The Adelphoi Zangaki (Zangaki Brothers), known by their probable initials C. and G. Zangaki,Zangaki Brothers
''Luminous-Lint'' were two brothers of

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

origin, active as photographers in

Ottoman Egypt Ottoman Egypt was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire after the conquest of Mamluk Egypt by the Ottomans in 1517. The Ottomans administered Egypt as a province (''eyalet'') of their empire (). It remained formally an Ottoman prov ...

from the 1860s through to the 1890s. They specialized in photographing ancient monuments and scenes of everyday life, producing photographic prints for the tourist trade.C. & G. Zangaki Photographs Collection, 1870–1875
''Princeton University Library Finding Aids''. Note: The ''Zangaki Collection Finding Aid'' at Princeton University lists them as functioning from 1870 to 1875RCS Index to Photographers
, ''Cambridge University Library''. Note: The Royal Commonwealth Society Photographers Index database at Cambridge University lists them as in the 1880s and 1890s. They occasionally worked with the French photographer Hippolyte Arnoux in

Port Said Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...

, documenting the works on the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

. Further, they were among the first commercial photographers to produce large scale images of late 19th- century Egypt.

Background

Little is known about the Zangaki brothers, except their initials, C. and G., and that they worked out of Port Said and

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

from around the 1860s through to at least the 1890s. Many of the Zangaki photographs are signed with a brother's initial and/or a place of business, e.g., "C. Zangaki" or "Zangaki, Cairo" or occasionally "A. Zangaki".Perez, Nissan N. ''Focus East: Early photography in the Near East (1839–1885)''. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1988, p. 233. For a long time, it was believed that "A. Zangaki" was a single photographer. However, with the discovery of a signboard with the name "Adelphoi Zangaki", it became clear that these were brothers. Scholars believe that their names were George and Constantinos (or Costas),Apostolou, Irini. "Photographes Français et Locaux en Orient Méditerranéen au XXIX siècle: Quelques cas de collaboration". ''Bulletin du Centre de Recherche Français à Jérusalem'', Vol. 24, 2013 (translated from French) and that they were born on the Greek island of

Milos Milos or Melos (; , ; ) is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. It is the southwestern-most island of the Cyclades group. The ''Venus de Milo'' (now in the Louvre), the ''Poseidon of Melos'' (now in the ...

, while others have suggested that they were Cypriot. However, no definitive evidence pertaining to their place and date of birth extists. How they came to learn photography is also unclear. However, shortly after their arrival in Egypt they had become established photographers with studios in Cairo and Port Said.

Early photographers in Egypt

By the 1850s, tourist travel to Egypt created strong demand for photographs as souvenirs. A small group of early photographers, mostly of French origin, made their way to Cairo and the

Nile valley The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the longest river i ...

to capitalise on this demand. These pioneering photographers included

Félix Bonfils Maison Bonfils was a French family-run company producing and selling photography and photographic products from Beirut (then in Ottoman Syria, now in Lebanon) from 1867 until 1918, from 1878 on renamed "F. Bonfils et Cie". The Bonfils ran the fir ...

(1831–1885);

Gustave Le Gray Jean-Baptiste Gustave Le Gray (; 30 August 1820 – 30 July 1884)Le Corre, Florence "Translated from the catalogue ''Une visite au camp de Châlons sous le Second Empire: photographies de Messieurs Le Gray, Prévot...'', Paris: musée de l'Armée ...

(1820–1884), Emile Béchard (his brother Henri signed some of his photographs; active 1860–1890); the British-Italian brothers

Antonio Beato Antonio Beato (c. 1832–1906), also known as Antoine Beato, was an Italian-British photographer. He is noted for his genre works, portraits, views of the architecture and landscapes of Egypt and other locations in the Mediterranean region. H ...

(c. 1832–1906) and

Felice Beato Felice Beato (c. 1832 – 29 January 1909), also known as Felix Beato, was an Italian Briton, Italian–British photographer. He was one of the first people to take photographs in East Asia and one of the first war photography, war photographer ...

(1832–1909) as well as Hippolyte Arnoux (active between 1860 and 1890) and some years later,

Gabriel Lekegian Gabriel Lekegian (1853 – c. 1920), also known as G. Lékégian, was an Armenian painter and photographer, active in Constantinople and Cairo from the 1880s to the 1920s. Little is known about his life, but he left an important body of work unde ...

(1853–1920).

Career

Photographs taken by the Zangaki brothers are found in tourists' albums assembled in the Middle East in the second half of the 19th century. From their Port Said studio, they were ideally situated to sell to Europeans visiting Egypt as part of a Grand Tour. The Zangaki brothers traveled along the Nile, accompanied by a horse-drawn

darkroom A darkroom is used to process photographic film, make Photographic printing, prints and carry out other associated tasks. It is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light-sensitive photographic materials, including ...

wagon to document the Egyptian scenery, architecture and events. Images included views of the pyramids at Giza or the

Sphinx A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...

and cities, such as

Suez Suez (, , , ) is a Port#Seaport, seaport city with a population of about 800,000 in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea, near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. It is the capital and largest c ...

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, as well of Egyptians going about their daily lives, e.g., a teacher and pupils, men working by the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

or women at home. They may have worked with the French photographer Hippolyte Arnoux to document the construction of the Suez Canal. Most scholars believe that Arnoux was the official Suez photographer and that the Zangaki Brothers may have assisted him. However, the precise nature of their relationship is unclear, since Arnoux's biography is just as enigmatic as that of the Zangaki brothers. Their relationship soured in 1874, when Arnoux instigated litigation against the Zangaki Brothers and one Spiridion Antippa, accusing them of usurping his

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

. Arnoux was successful, as on 29 June 1876, the Court of

Ismailia Ismailia ( ', ) is a city in north-eastern Egypt. Situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal, it is the capital of the Ismailia Governorate. The city had an estimated population of about 1,434,741 according to the statistics issued by the Cen ...

recognized them as "guilty of usurpation of artistic and industrial property and unfair competition." In Palestine they photographed areas of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

Mar Saba The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas, known in Arabic and Syriac as Mar Saba (; ; ; ) and historically as the Great Laura of Saint Sabas, is a Greek Orthodox monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley in the Bethlehem Governorate of Palestine, in th ...

Mount Tabor Mount Tabor ( ; ; ), sometimes spelled Mount Thabor, is a large hill of biblical significance in Lower Galilee, Northern District (Israel), northern Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee. In the Hebrew Bi ...

and the Jerusalem railway. Some of their original glass negatives as well as prints are in the collection of the

Palestine Exploration Fund The Palestine Exploration Fund is a British society based in London. It was founded in 1865, shortly after the completion of the Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem by Royal Engineers of the War Department. The Fund is the oldest known organization i ...

Recognition

Art historian John Hannavy acknowledged that the Zangaki brothers "produced some of the finest images" of the late 19th century in Egypt. Mainly produced for the expectations of the flourishing European tourist trade in Egypt, they are highly prized by historians and collectors for their representations of life at the time. File:Sphynx et la grande pyramide..jpg, The Sphynx and the Great Pyramid at Giza File:Zangaki. 0975. Louxor ensemble des colonnades.jpg,

Colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

Luxor Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...

File:Zangaki. 0728. Isis (Dendérah).jpg,

Dendera Dendera ( ''Dandarah''; ; Bohairic ; Sahidic ), also spelled ''Denderah'', ancient Iunet 𓉺𓈖𓏏𓊖 “jwn.t”, Tentyris,(Arabic: Ewan-t إيوان-ة ), or Tentyra is a small town and former bishopric in Egypt situated on the west bank of ...

File:Zangaki. 0297. Vue du Caire et mosque Sultan Hussan.jpg, Sultan Hassan Mosque, Cairo File:Zangaki. 0335. Mosquee Kaïd bey.jpg, Kaïd Bey Mosque, Cairo File:Inundation du Nil et palmiers..jpg, Inundated scene on the Nile File:Zangaki. 0214. Dahabie sur le Nil Egypte.jpg, Nile boat (

Dahabeah A dahabeah, also spelled dahabeeyah, dahabiah, dahabiya, dahabiyah and dhahabiyya, as well as dahabiyeh and dahabieh (Arabic language, Arabic ذهبية /ðahabīya/), is a passenger boat used on the river Nile in Egypt. The term is normally used ...

) File:Zangaki. 0896. Arab with Three Wives and Two Servants cropped.jpg, Egyptian family with servants File:MMoCA192a (MA) Photograph by C. Zangaki.jpg,

Karnak The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (), comprises a vast mix of temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I (reigned 1971–1926 BC) in the ...

, Gate of

Ptolemy III Ptolemy III Euergetes (, "Ptolemy the Benefactor"; c. 280 – November/December 222 BC) was the third pharaoh of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt from 246 to 222 BC. The Ptolemaic Kingdom reached the height of its military and economic power duri ...

File:MMoCA192b (MA) Photograph by C. Zangaki.jpg,

Philae Island Philae Island was an island near the expansive First Cataract of the Nile in Upper Egypt. Due to the building of the Aswan Low Dam, the island is today submerged. Due to the submerging, the Philae temple complex which had been built on the islan ...

References

External links