[Goetzman, Henry Jacob] (1864 - after 1904); Larss & Duclos (fl. ca. 1899

Oblong Folio album (ca. 32x43 cm or 12 ½ x 17 in). 18 card stock leaves. With 87 original mounted gelatin silver photos, including four large images ca. 21,3x 26 cm (8 ½ x 10 in); the rest of the photos are from ca.15,5x21 cm (6 x 8 ¼ in) to ca.10,5x12 cm (4 ¼ x 4 ¾ in). Over sixty images with captions in negative, over forty images are also signed in negative. Period maroon full cloth album; faded gilt-tooled borders on both boards; marbled endpapers. Binding rubbed on extremities and weakened on hinges, spine with minor tears on top and bottom, block is shaky, several images slightly faded, but overall a very good album. Historically significant album with early rare studio and amateur gelatin silver photos, documenting a prospector's travel to the Klondike gold fields in 1898 (during the stampede) and gold mining and life in Dawson City in 1899 - early 1900s. The album opens with about twenty images of Northwest Pacific Coast, showing Juneau, St. Michael's Cathedral in Sitka, harbours, glaciers, forested shores, &c. Very interesting are two photos of the famous steamship "Excelsior" (which became the first to bring gold from the Klondike to San Francisco in July 1897, starting the stampede), shown while beached on shore (apparently, in Alaska) with a damaged bow. There are also photos of native American canoes and indigenous people (decorated with U.S. flags), a scene with a deceased Alaskan chief with funerary offerings, &c. Over a dozen images follow the prospector's route to the Klondike over the Chilkoot Pass and down the Yukon River. A large photo by Henry Goetzman depicts a "Scene at Chilkoot Pass, Spring of 1898," with a line of load carriers ascending the pass from the camp on the bottom (featuring signs of a "Restaurant" and a "Gasoline tramway"). The other images include scenes of "Descending from Chilkoot summit to Crater Lake" (by Larss & Duclos studio), "Lining a scow through Lindeman rapids," and views "Burro pack train - Bennett" and "The Scales - 1898." Seven larger photos by Larss & Duclos document a typical boat voyage down the Yukon River to Dawson City, which prospectors took after crossing the Chilkoot Pass: "Squaw rapids, between Miles Canyon and White Horse rapids, 1898," boats navigating Miles Canyon and White Horse Rapids, a travelling party "Drying goods after a wreck at White Horse Rapids," "Five Finger Rapids," "Yukon River above Selkirk" and "Looking south on Lake Marsh, June 6th 98." The album also contains over a dozen interesting early views of Dawson City, including three large photos by Henry Goetzman, showing "Dawson, June 28, 1901," "Shipment of gold dust, Sept. 20-99, $750,000," and "Some Dawson dwellings." A series of city views by Larss & Duclos show Front Street and First Avenue with a pack train, dogs, donkeys and numerous street and storefront signs, "Looking down the Yukon from Midnight Dome, Dawson Y.T. 99," rare images of destruction after the fire on August 26, 1899 ("A.C. Co. mode of fighting fire, April 26th99, Dawson, Y. T.," "Front St., April 26 99 after the fire, Dawson Y. T.," "Looking over the ruins of Dawson from 2nd Ave, April 26th 99") and "Ruins of the branch of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, fire of Jan. 10th 1900." Other photos by Larss & Duclos include views of "Canadian Development Co's str. "Columbian" and the Yukon Flyer Line Co's "Eldorado" starting from Dawson, July 4th 99 on a race to White Horse Rapids," "Scow in the ice jam on Lake Marsh, June 7-99," "The jam on Lake Marsh, June 7-99," "Dick Gardner's Circle City Express on Yukon River," "Laplanders arriving in Dawson Y.T., Jan. 8th 99," "Reindeers en route for Klondyke [sic!]," portraits of "Chief Isaac and his son, 1899," "the Coming Queen of the Yukon, Dawson Y.T.," "Pioneers of Klondyke, Y. T.," &c. Four photos of gold mining include views of claims "No. 7 below on Bonanza" and "No. 45 below on Bonanza" (by Eric Hegg), "4 below Hunker" (by Larss & Duclos) and a scene with prospectors "Followi