John Thomson – Kyrenia Harbour, Cyprus, 1878 | Framed Giclée Print

A curved harbour under a fortress: big sailing boats lie moored along the quay, small craft closer in, and beyond the harbour wall the open sea. Water and sky lie flat and quiet, the way they do on a glass plate that needed several seconds of light.

John Thomson took it in the autumn of 1878, a few months after Britain had taken over the administration of Cyprus, and published his views of the island the following year in Through Cyprus with the Camera. The walls on the right belong to Kyrenia Castle.

What this is. A giclée print made from Thomson's own glass negative, which Henry Wellcome bought from the photographer in 1921. It is not a period photographic print and is not sold as one. The picture is printed the right way round, as a print from the plate shows the scene, so the handwriting on the plate edge reads in mirror image. Neutral black and white, exactly as the plate records it; no sepia has been added.

Scale
Original: wet-collodion glass negative — Wellcome Collection
50 × 40 cm / 19.7 × 15.7 in — Enlarged from the glass negative

The plate is reproduced whole, with its chipped edges and handwritten caption. Nothing is cropped.

Provenance
John Thomson (1837–1921), Kyrenia, Cyprus, 1878; wet-collodion glass negative.
Wellcome Collection, London, 19010i.
Public domain (Public Domain Mark).

The frame
Giclée on 200 gsm FSC-certified fine art paper, twelve pigment inks, white border. Matte black wood frame, glazed with clear plexiglass instead of glass, so it travels safely. Print and frame ship together in one package and are assembled on site. Part of the Hotel Collection — volume pricing from ten pieces.