Content Description
A set of 86 glass slides, mostly late 19th and early 20th century, originally stored in 12 cardboard slide boxes. The content relates to India (people and places), Indian railways, including maps, and Egypt. A number of slides are marked 'Imperial Institute', some relate to the work of the Colonial Office Visual Instruction Committee (COVIC) and some relate to the publication 'Views of Gaur and Pandua' by John Henry Ravenshaw. A significant number of slides are unidentified. Where possible, original captions and annotations to the slides have been maintained as item titles.
Dates
- undated, [early to mid 20th century]
Biographical / Historical
The collection of slides was assembled by Percy Brooker (1892-1980), manager of Smorthwaites, a chemist in Liphook, Hampshire. Brooker was a pharamacist, optician and photograph developer. It is unclear how the slides came into his possession. Brooker is not known to have visited India or Egypt in his lifetime; it is possible he handled the slides as part of the shop's photograph development service (i.e. for a client) or that he purchased them from a third party.
Extent
0.015 cubic metre(s) (86 glass slides in 5 slide boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Christopher Williamson, grandson of Percy Brooker, in November 2021.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Cambridge University Library Repository
Cambridge University Library
West Road
Cambridge CB3 9DR United Kingdom
Map Dept enquiries: maps@lib.cam.ac.uk
all other enquiries: mss@lib.cam.ac.uk