People
Peter with Sheikhs
A formal gathering — Peter photographed alongside local sheikhs in traditional keffiyeh and agal. The military uniform in the centre marks the occasion as official. Location unknown.
The photographs & documents
The Archive
A collection of photographs, maps, and documents spanning the early twentieth century — from Mesopotamia to the Lebanese mountains.
Places
The Fortress
A medieval fortress with crenellated towers, awnings, and a horse-drawn cart at its base. Annotated in a careful hand below. Possibly Samarra or a site along the Tigris.
Documents
Haji Rikkan: Marsh Arab
The title page of Haji Rikkan: Marsh Arab by Fulanain — a pseudonym for two British officers who lived among the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq. One of the few sympathetic accounts of the people the Empire governed.
Maps
Map of Mesopotamia
A military map of the Mesopotamian theatre showing Baghdad, Basra, the Tigris and Euphrates, and the Persian border. The annotations mark the campaign routes of the First World War.
People
Monica on Marchegai
Monica on horseback in a palm grove. The white horse — named Marchegai — stands out against the dense date palms. A rare photograph of a woman at ease in the landscape.
People
London, 1940s
A woman with a baby carriage on a brick pavement. The return to Britain. The empire was retreating; ordinary life continued on ordinary streets.
Documents
Album Page — Shimlan 1924
A scrapbook page mounted on blue-grey paper. Five sepia photographs of family groups and children in the Lebanese mountains. Annotated: 'Shimlan August October 1924 — Babylonia'.