A Photograph Album of Trinidad At the Turn of the 19th Century

This whimsical collection of photographs of the 19th and early 20th century was Paria Publishing's first "coffee table book" and first published in 1985 in a very large format exclusively in a local print run in Trinidad.

In 2024, to commemorate the first anniversary of Gérard A. Besson's death, Paria decided to re-publish the book and make it available worldwide via online book stores in a somewhat smaller format. The book was also augmented - according to Gérard's wishes - with some new old photographs that have been added to Paria's archives in the last decades.

The publication of these photographs was made possible mainly because of two splendid albums of old photographs of Trinidad that were given to Besson by Michael Pocock and Ruby Harding Findlayson. They are mostly of the 1890's and they form the basis of this album. Various other contributors have added photographs to the Album.