Background
Alary & Geiser was a photographic firm of long standing in Algiers. Lucien-Jacob Geiser
(1810-1852), was an ébéniste by trade, who immigrated to Algeria from Switzerland with his
wife Julie and three sons in 1850. The exact nature of the business Geiser père established
in Algiers is not known, nor is the nature of his involvement with photography. Yet at some
point after her husband's death Madame Geiser, who would have taken over the business, went
into partnership with Jean-Baptiste Antoine Alary (1810-approximately 1867), an early
daguerreotypist. Eventually the youngest Geiser son, Jean-Théophile (1848-1923), became
involved with the photography business, running it into the 1920s.