Collection PL

Egypt 1912 — Compagnie des Bateaux Omnibus (Nile Steamer Illustrated Letterhead)

Original 17 October 1912 illustrated letterhead of the Compagnie des Bateaux Omnibus, printed on pale beige laid paper with a finely executed lithographed masthead. At the upper left is a detailed vignette showing a Nile side-wheeler steamer underway, flying the red company pennant marked C.B.O. The steamer is depicted passing a palm-lined bank with mooring post and faint pyramidal silhouettes in the background, capturing one of the most iconic motifs of early twentieth-century Egyptian river transport. ... Read more →

Egypt 1950 — Gamil Fawzi El-Motei Oldsmobile & Vauxhall Service Station (Heliopolis–Abbassia)

Original 1950 service and delivery letterhead from Gamil Fawzi El-Motei, the official Oldsmobile and Vauxhall agent in Cairo and one of the earliest postwar General Motors dealerships operating in Egypt. The top section is printed on light cream stock and features an unusually elaborate illustrated masthead for a mid-century Arab automotive agency. Two large halftone photographs dominate the header: the left image shows the dealership's illuminated evening service station with its tower signage and forecourt lighting, while the right image presents a clear street-level view of the showroom façade, with GENERAL MOTORS branding and the distinctive EL-MOTEI signage above the entrance. ... Read more →

Egypt 1908 — Mohammed El Komi Carriage & Automobile Workshop Invoice

Original 1908 trade invoice from Mohammed El Komi, a Cairo-based carriage and early automobile workshop situated on Rue El Saha near the palace of Mazloum Pasha. The upper section features a finely lithographed header showing a side-profile illustration of a horse-drawn carriage with the driver seated at the front. Above the vignette, the workshop name 'MOHAMMED EL KOMI' appears in a bold curved arc. ... Read more →

Egypt 1921 — National Bank of Egypt, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original National Bank of Egypt cheque issued in Cairo on 23 March 1921, printed on pale cream security paper with an elaborate blue guilloche frame. The border consists of finely interlaced geometric linework characteristic of early twentieth-century British-engraved financial stationery. The upper section displays the bold NATIONAL BANK OF EGYPT title flanked by twin rosettes, presenting the institution in its combined role as both Egypt’s de facto state bank and the country’s dominant commercial bank during this period. ... Read more →

Egypt 1935 — Palestine & Egypt Lloyd Ltd., Alexandria Agency Letterhead

Original 1935 commercial letterhead issued by Palestine and Egypt Lloyd Ltd., one of the most important multinational forwarding, clearing, and passenger-transport agencies operating in the Eastern Mediterranean during the interwar period. The sheet is printed on period cream office stock and carries a trilingual English–French–Arabic masthead, dominated by the bold PEL monogram at upper left. The left margin lists every operational branch of the company—Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Haifa, Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, Damascus, Aleppo, Baghdad, and Teheran—providing an unusually comprehensive snapshot of a major Levantine–Egyptian commercial network at a moment when regional transport corridors were undergoing rapid modernization. ... Read more →

Egypt 1927 — Italian Notarial & Consular Legalization Dossier

Complete two-page Italian legal and consular legalization dossier issued in 1927, preserving both the original handwritten notarial act and the entire foreign-ministry and consular authentication chain applied in Cairo. The dossier is executed on thin cream laid paper typical of interwar Italian administrative stationery, showing vertical chain lines, light surface sizing, and natural toning consistent with official notarial production. Each leaf is folded for presentation, with handwritten content extending across both pages in a refined early twentieth-century Italian cursive hand. ... Read more →