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.