Finding aid for Middle Eastern and North African views and portraits, circa
1870-circa 1900
Beth Ann Guynn
Descriptive Summary
Title: Middle Eastern and North African views and portraits
Date (inclusive): circa 1870-circa
1900
Number: 93.R.72
Creator/Collector:
Bonfils
Physical Description:
32 photographic prints
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Special Collections
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
Business Number: (310) 440-7390
Fax Number: (310) 440-7780
reference@getty.edu
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref
(310) 440-7390
Abstract: This collection of albumen prints dates
from the last quarter of the 19th century and comprises views and portraits from North
Africa and the Middle East, some of which are signed Bonfils.
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Language: Collection material is in French
and English.
Biographical/Historical Note
Eighteen images are signed Bonfils in the negative, and two others are attibuted to
Bonfils. The Bonfils family operated a photographic studio in Beirut from 1867 to 1918.
Félix Bonfils produced most of the early work; his wife, Lydie, son, Adrien, and various
assistants were responsible for the later work. One image is attributed to Henri Béchard,
who was active in Egypt in the 1870s and 1880s.
Administrative Information
Access
Open for use by qualified researchers.
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Middle Eastern and North African views and portraits, circa 1870-circa 1900, The Getty
Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 93.R.72
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa93r72
Acquisition Information
Acquired in 1993.
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).
Digitized Material
The collection was digitized by the repository and the images are available online:
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/93r72
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection of albumen prints dates from the last quarter of the 19th century and
comprises three groups of images: eight unmounted photographs; 16 photographs mounted recto
and verso on eight loose blue album leaves; and eight photographs mounted recto and verso on
four loose buff album leaves. Four of the unmounted photographs and 14 of those mounted on
blue leaves are signed Bonfils. These images include studio or otherwise posed portraits of
camel drivers, Bedouin musicians, Egyptian dancers and singers, and a variety of young women
identified as being "mauresque," Egyptian, or Turkish, plus one image of a group of young
girls on a road near Mt. Carmel. Geographic locales include Algeria (a mosque and a
neighborhood vegetable stand); Syria (Baalbek, a palace door); and Rhodes (rue des
Chevaliers).
Images in the group on buff leaves, all unsigned (though two are attributed on the mount to
Bonfils), are from an album compiled by an English couple touring Egypt and vicinity.
Captioned locales include Luxor (Thebes), the pyramids, and Petra, and include the date of
visit. Of particular interest are two images of a man and woman in European dress ascending
and descending the Great Pyramid at Giza with the assistance of many local guides
(attributed on the mount to Béchard).
Arrangement
Arranged in three series: Series I. Photographic prints mounted on blue album leaves;
Series II. Photographic prints mounted on buff album leaves; Series III. Photographic
prints, unmounted.
Indexing Terms
Subjects - Topics
Pyramids -- Egypt
Africa, North -- Description and travel
Musicians -- Egypt
Women -- Middle East -- Portraits
Subjects - Places
Middle East -- Description and travel
Ba'labakk (Lebanon)
Genres and Forms of Material
Albumen prints -- 19th century
Contributors
Bonfils, Félix,
1831-1885
Béchard,
Henri
Series I.
Photographic prints mounted on blue album leaves
Photographic prints mounted on blue album leaves
Physical Description:
1.25 Linear
Feet
Scope and Content Note
The loose photos and those mounted on blue leaves are captioned in the negative in
French.
page 1 recto
93.R.72-1r
Bonfils, Femmes egyptiennes, costume de sortie
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 572.
page 1 verso
93.R.72-1v
Groupe de jeune filles D [___] Mt. Carmel
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 663.
page 2 recto
93.R.72-2r
Bonfils, Danse des Almée d' [_____]
page 2 verso
93.R.72-2v
Bonfils, Foueurs de violin bédouins
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 613.
page 3 recto
93.R.72-3r
Bonfils, Touree[?] de chûtes du 'nahr, Ibrahim a Afka
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 1078.
page 3 verso
93.R.72-3v
Bonfils, Liban, Palais Bl[___] la porte, Syrie
page 4 recto
93.R.72-4r
Chapiteau dans la mosquée à Balbek
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 1252.
page 4 verso
93.R.72-4v
Bonfils, Chameliers en marche dans le désert
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 703.
page 5 recto
93.R.72-5r
Bonfils, Halté de chamliers dans le désert
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 669.
page 5 verso
93.R.72-5v
Bonfils, Chanteuses arabas au Caire
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 611.
page 6 recto
93.R.72-6r
Bonfils, Dame egyptienne fumant le nargiuleh
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 585.
page 6 verso
93.R.72-6v
Bonfils, Femmes du Caire
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 590[?]
page 7 recto
93.R.72-7r
Bonfils, rue des Chevaliers à Rhodes
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 1285.
page 7 verso
93.R.72-7v
Bonfils, Balbek, Couple de Douris
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 466.
page 8 recto
93.R.72-8r
Bonfils, Jeune femme juive égyptienne
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 600.
page 8 verso
93.R.72-8v
Bonfils, Almée ou danseuse égyptienne
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 594.
Series II.
Photographic prints mounted on buff album leaves
Physical Description:
0.88 Linear
Feet
Scope and Content Note
The photographs mounted on buff leaves are captioned in the negative in French and/or
captioned in English in ink on the mount; photographer attributions and image numbers
also penciled on some mounts in a different hand.
page 9 recto
93.R.72-9r
Femme arabe
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 196. Written on mount in ink: Arab woman. Copy in Jacobson
collection, Special Collections accession no. 2008.R.3-3176 is signed in negative:
Sebah.
page 9 verso
93.R.72-9v
Luxor (Thebes) 16th Jany
Scope and Content Note
Title written on mount in ink. Written on mount in pencil: on east.
page 10 recto
93.R.72-10r
La Pyramide de Chefre
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 109. Written on mount in ink: The second pyramid from base of
Great Pyramid. Written on mount in pencil: Bonfils 109.
page 10 verso
93.R.72-10v
Ascent of the Great Pyramid 30th Jan 7
Scope and Content Note
Title written on mount in ink. Written on mount in pencil: Bechard.
page 11 recto
93.R.72-11r
Descent of the Great Pyramid 30th Jan 7
Scope and Content Note
Title written on mount in ink. Written on mount in pencil: Bechard.
page 11 verso
93.R.72-11v
A Nile Dahabeeah
Scope and Content Note
Title written on mount in ink. Written on mount in pencil: Bonfils # 95.
page 12 recto
93.R.72-12r
Jeune femme arabe
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 179. Written on mount: Arab Woman.
page 12 verso
93.R.72-12v
The Khuzneh, Petra 7th -10th March
Series III.
Photographic prints, unmounted
Physical Description:
0.88 Linear
Feet
Scope and Content Note
All photographs are titled in the negative.
box 2
93.R.72-13
Mauresque (Etude)
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 198.
Young woman.
box 2
93.R.72-14
Bonfils, Dame turque
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 670.
box 2
93.R.72-15
Bonfils, Almée Egyptienne
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 605.
box 2
93.R.72-16
Arabe de [_____]
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 4592.
Male with hooded cloak.
box 2
93.R.72-17
Mosquée Sidi [_____] Alger
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: No. 176[?] Written on verso: J. Geiser.
box 2
93.R.72-18
Boutique de moulchou (Alger)
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 103.
Neighborhood vegetable stand.
box 2
93.R.72-19
Bonfils, Balbek, Débris de frise de l'interieur du temple de Jupiter,
Syrie
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 456.
box 2
93.R.72-20
Bonfils, Chameaux portant les cymbaliers des noces arabes
Scope and Content Note
Numbered in negative: 1464.
