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An album containing 104 original albumen prints from the late 19th century will be up for auction at Salcedo Auctions’ Finer Pursuits afternoon live and online sale on Saturday, June 6, starting 2 p.m.
Among the most important images in the album is one of Dr. Jose Rizal at his final stand in Bagumbayan on December 30, 1896. The photo was taken by Manuel Arias y Rodriguez, a bookseller and amateur photographer.
There are also before-and-after photographs documenting the Thirteen Martyrs of Bagumbayan, carried out just 12 days after Rizal’s execution. Patriot Moises Salvador can be seen lying on the ground in front of the firing squad, rendered weak by torture to stand next to his fellow revolutionaries.
The album also includes a rare group photo of revolutionaries connected to the Pact of Biak na Bato, including Emilio Aguinaldo, taken in 1987. The group would be known later on as the Hong Kong Junta after their exile.
Another photo shows what appears to be a celebration of Aguinaldo’s short presidency of the First Philippine Republic. A crowd can be seen surrounding a fortress that bore the slogans, “Viva Emilio Aguinaldo,” “Viva El Ejercito Revolucionario,” and “Viva Filipinas.”
According to historian and author Jonathan Best, the rare album has been preserved properly. Several images of note are still sharp, with rich sepia toning and little fading.
“The images are mounted on thick, coated cardboard stock, which has helped to safeguard them for well over a century,” Best said in a statement.
“This rare album of historical photographs is a vital contribution to national heritage and would be a major addition to any institutional or private library of Philippine history,” he added.
Meanwhile, Salcedo Auctions Chairman and Chief Specialist Richie Lerma expressed that the album comprises significant surviving photographs from a critical period in Philippine history.
” This extraordinary album brings together some of the most important surviving photographic records around the time of the Philippine Revolution and the birth of the nation,” said Lerma.
Per Lerma, the album surfacing during Independence Month this June “serves as a powerful reminder of the courage, sacrifice, and ideals that shaped our national narrative.”
“Collections of this significance rarely come to market, making it an exceptional opportunity for collectors and institutions alike to become custodians of an irreplaceable chapter in Philippine history,” he added.
The rare album will be auctioned alongside other collectibles and artworks, including pieces by National Artists HR Ocampo, Fernando Amorsolo, Ang Kiukok, BenCab, and Vicente Manansala, as well as works by Fernando Zobel and Malang. —Nika Roque/CDC, GMA News