Finding aid for Middle Eastern and North African portraits, circa 1860-circa 1889 93.R.31

Beth Ann Guynn
Special Collections
2010
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
Business Number: (310) 440-7390
Fax Number: (310) 440-7780
reference@getty.edu


Contributing Institution: Special Collections
Title: Middle Eastern and North African portraits
Creator: Sébah, Pascal, 1823-1886
Identifier/Call Number: 93.R.31
Physical Description: 21 photographic prints
Date (inclusive): circa 1860-circa 1889
Physical Location: To access physical materials on site, go to the library catalog record  for this collection and click "Request an Item." Click here for access policy .
Abstract: The collection comprises 21 photographs taken between the 1860s and 1890s of Middle Eastern and North African individuals.
Language of Material: Collection material is in French.

Scope and Content of Collection

The collection comprises 21 albumen photographs taken between the 1860s and the 1890s of Middle Eastern and North African individuals. The photographs take the form of studio portraits or other posed shots, including genre scenes. Occupational portraits include porters, water carriers, a grocer, Arab theologians, a spice merchant, and musicians and dancers. The image captions identify many of the sitters, especially women, by their ethnicity. Genre scenes depict checkers players and a café scene. Countries represented by the images include Algeria, Egypt, Syria, and Tunisia.
Photographers are identified for 12 of the photographs; the remainder are by unidentified photographers.
Most of the prints are unmounted. The nineteenth century French captions present in the negative or written on the versos of the photographs have been used as titles for the individual photographs, and as such some titles may include language now considered to be racist or biased.

Processing History

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

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.

Publication Rights

Access

Open for use by qualified researchers.

Arrangement

Arranged in a singles series: Series I. Middle Eastern and North African Portraits, circa 1860-circa 1889.

Biographical/Historical Note

The photographs in the collection were taken in the Middle East and North Africa by various photographers, known and unknown, between the 1860s and the 1880s.
Photographers are identified for 12 of the photographs: Pascal Sébah (4); Hippolyte Arnoux (2); Félix Bonfils (2); Béchard (1); Wilhelm Hammerschmidt (1); G. Lékégian (1); and Zangaki (1).

Digitized Material

The collection was digitized by the repository and the images are available online:
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/93r31

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Studio portraits -- Africa, North -- 19th century
Albumen prints -- Middle East -- 1860-1889
Occupations -- Africa, North
Studio portraits -- Middle East -- 19th century
Clothing and dress -- Africa, North
Occupations -- Middle East
Indigenous peoples -- Middle East -- Portraits
Clothing and dress -- Middle East
Indigenous peoples -- Africa, North -- Portraits
Studio portraits -- 19th century
Photographs, Original -- 19th century
Albumen prints -- Africa, North -- 1860-1889
Albumen prints -- 1860-1889
Hammerschmidt, W., -1869
Lékégian, G.
Béchard, Émile, 1844-
Bonfils, Félix, 1831-1885
Arnoux, Hippolyte
Adelphoi Zangaki (Firm)

 

Middle Eastern and North African portraits Series I.

Middle Eastern and North African portraits

Arrangement

No discernible original order; arranged by cataloger starting with photographer unidentifed and then alaphabetically by photographer.
box 1

Photographer unidentified

box 1

Costume juive de la Tunisie 93.R.31-1

Scope and Contents

Title from annotation on verso. Numbered on verso: 135.
box 1

Epicier arabe 93.R.31-2

Scope and Contents

Title from annotation on verso.
box 1

Jouers d'échecs 93.R.31-3

Scope and Contents

Titled in the negative. Numbered in negative: 1336.
box 1

[Three Male Musicians and Dancers] 93.R.31-4

Scope and Contents

Title devised by cataloger. Numbered in negative: 31.
box 1

Femme grecque 93.R.31-5

Scope and Contents

Title from annotation on verso.
box 1

[Seated Woman with Large Jug] 93.R.31-6

Scope and Contents

Title devised by cataloger. Numbered in negative: 14. This is a studio portrait.
box 1

Negro d'Alger 93.R.31-7

Scope and Contents

Titled in the negative. Numbered in negative: 1331.
box 1

[Three Women, One with a Basket of Fruit on Her Head] 93.R.31-8

Scope and Contents

Title devised by cataloger. Numbered in negative: 830. This is a studio portrait.
box 1

[Woman Seated on Rocks with Urn] 93.R.31-9

Scope and Contents

Title devised by cataloger. Numbered in negative: No. 239. This is a studio portrait.
box 1

Arnoux, Hippolyte

box 1

Tollahs porteuses d'eau 93.R.31-10

Scope and Contents

Titled in negative and numbered and credited: 1360, Arnoux Port Said.
box 1

[Three Male Figures, One Holding a Scale] 93.R.31-11

Scope and Contents

Title from annotation on verso. Credited and numbered and in negative: H. Arnoux 168.
box 2

Béchard, Émile, Boab (Portiers) 93.R.31-12

Scope and Contents

Titled in negative and numbered and credited: No. 60. Béchard.
box 2

Bonfils, Félix

box 2

Groupe de bedouins syriennes 93.R.31-13

Scope and Contents

Title in negative and numbered and credited: 673. Bonfils.
box 2

Lukkois vidant leurs outres 93.R.31-14

Scope and Contents

Title in negative: Bonfils, 673.
box 2

Hammerschmidt, Wilhelm, Nautch Girl 93.R.31-15

Scope and Contents

Titled in negative.
box 2

Lékégian, G., Type fellah 93.R.31-16

Scope and Contents

Titled innegative and numbered and credited: No. 312. Photo Art A. Lekegian & Co.
box 2

Sébah, Pascal

Scope and Contents

All captions in negative.
box 2

Theologians arabes 93.R.31-17

Scope and Contents

Titled in negative and numbered and credited: No. 380. P. Sébah.
box 2

Café arabe (à Gyzéh) 93.R.31-18

Scope and Contents

Titled in negative and numbered and credited: No. 43 bis. P. Sébah Phot.
box 2

Intérieur d'une coeur arabe 93.R.31-19

Scope and Contents

Titled in negative and numbered and credited: 136. P. Sébah, P.
box 2

Hámal (porteur d'eau) 93.R.31-20

Scope and Contents

Titled in negative and numbered and credited: 264. P. Sébah.
box 2

Zangaki, Shalom Alek 93.R.31-21

Scope and Contents

Titled in negative and numbered: No. 411. Depicts a woman with a baby greeting a man in a window.