Middle Eastern and North African Portraits, circa 1860-circa 1889

Biographical/Historical Note

The photographs in this collection were taken in the Middle East and North Africa by various photographers, known and unknown, between the 1860s and 1880s.

Scope and Content of Collection

Subjects of these albumen prints include women in native costume (including a Jewish woman and a Greek woman); native types and trades (porters, a grocer, Arab theologians, musicians and dancers); and genre scenes (checkers players, Arab café, interior courtyard). The countries represented by these images include Algeria, Egypt, Syria, and Tunisia.

Photographers are identified for 12 of the photographs: Sébah (4); Arnoux (2); Bonfils (2); H. Béchard (1); Hammerschmidt (1); Lékégian (1); Zangaki (1). Nine images are by unidentified photographers. Most prints are unmounted. Captions are transcribed as they appear in negative or on verso, as indicated.

Arrangement

No discernible original order; arranged by cataloger. Grouped by photographer.

Restrictions

Access

Open for use by qualified researchers.

Publication Rights

Contact Library Rights and Reproductions.

Indexing Terms

Subjects - Topics

Genres and Forms of Material

Contributors

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Middle Eastern and North African portraits, circa 1860-circa 1889, Getty Research Institute, Research Library, Accession no. 93.R.31

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa93r31

Acquisition Information

Acquired in 1993.

Processing History

Processed and cataloged by Beth Guynn; finding aid encoded by Holly Larson with grant funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR).

Container List