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Early photos

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
A Tour of the Holy Land 1831-1910
This is a real treasure. It's photos of the Holy Land--mostly in and around Palestine. A couple of paintings unaccountably find their way here (all from Roberts, I think), but the bulk are actual photographs from the 1800s and into the early 1900s. It's pictures of places, but also of people.

I find them evocative. They're also pictures of people you just don't find in fantasy stories, but maybe should.
 
Wow, that's a wonderful collection of images! And yes, the people are fascinating. Also, buildings like the bakery, the flour mill. Not at all the usual fantasy ideal but that makes them all the better! Thanks for posting them.

One in particular that struck me was the overhead of the path of the river Jordan. Can't emphasize enough to fantasy mapmakers how much almost every river bends and curves naturally along its route. Over half the maps I see mapmakers create for their worlds, I find the river lines seem to be an afterthought and generally are drawn far too straight with no consideration to slope, elevation, source etc. I'm going to keep that image in my collection for just that purpose! :)
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
Rivers before dams are unruly beasts. The oxbows seen in that picture come not merely from being a river but from being a river on a rather flat bed trapped between high walls. The actual water wanders.

A river in the Dolomites, otoh, takes a more direct route. But I do agree that many fantasy map makers don't handle the rivers all that well. Once down on flat ground, rivers gotta wander.
 
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