The portfolio documenting Ernest Chantre's scientific mission to the Caucasus, Kurdistan and Mesopotamia, undertaken between March and September 1881, contains 57 albumen photographs taken by Captain Maximilien-Étienne-Émile Barry and one lithographed map showing the expedition's route. The photographs primarily document the Kurdistan portion of the mission which began in Trabzon, on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey, and proceeded on to Poti, Kutaisi, Goti and Tbilisi in the Caucasus. During the expedition Chantre explored some of the oldest continuously inhabited towns and cities in the world. The photographs record both ancient archaeological and contemporary urban sites. Portraits of inhabitants encountered along the way include those of Mingrelian, Kurdish and Armenian peoples. Also present are scenes of daily life and landscapes.

Maximilien-Étienne-Émile Barry (1843-1910), the son of a history professor in Toulouse, France, was a career military officer who rose to the rank of Brigadier General. In 1881, when a captain, he obtained a five-month leave to accompany Ernest Chantre's scientific mission to the Caucasus, Kurdistan and Mesopotamia. As a colonel he organized the defense of Le Havre in 1899.

2.75 Linear Feet (2 boxes: 57 photographs on 56 sheets and 1 map in 1 portfolio)

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