Germany, Imperial. A Rare Private Colonial Service Photo Album from a Soldier in German East Africa

(Deutsch-Ostafrika Fotoalbum). A rare and interesting private photo album from a soldier in German East Africa, constructed of a card stock banding with a canvas exterior liner, the spine perforated with four eyelets reinforced with magnetic metal grommets through which is looped a drawstring which maintains the album’s structural integrity, the interior content consisting of 23 black card stock pages pasted with 25 black-and-white photos depicting German colonial and military personnel in the colony from the early 20th centuries through to the local campaign of the First World War, including scenes of Christmas celebrations and wounded troops, featuring images of locals, buildings, and landscapes, supplemented with 18 period postcards featuring handwritten inscriptions and postage information, the majority featuring images and illustrations pertaining to German East Africa, completed with a small songbook featuring the lyrics to Die Wacht am Rhein, measuring 24.5 cm (w) x 16.5 cm (h), demonstrating minor material fatigue and with several images and postcards loose inside the album, a scarce compilation depicting life in colonial service in better than very fine condition.