Beginning in the 1860s, European commercial photographers set up studios in the major cities of North Africa. Photographs of indigenous "types" were produced for Europeans to take home to friends and family. The images were mounted on cabinet cards into the 1890s, when the format was replaced by picture postcards. Studios also sold larger prints of photographs, such as those seen here, which were acquired by European tourists, artists and collectors. Works from some of the most famous photographers of the time, including Étienne and Louis-Antonin Neurdein, J. Pascal Sebah, A. Cavilla, J. Garrigues and George Washington Wilson, are part of this collection. Photographic studios published popular tourist views of North Africa, sometimes expressing a stereotypical view of the region. While these images depict the so-called Orient as it was perceived by Europeans, they also reveal information about daily events in 19th-century North Africa. Admittedly, some photographers staged their images with paid models and carefully placed props. Others photographed outdoor scenes and real people in their indigenous dress in an attempt to capture the vibrancy of North African life.
These original prints, many more than a century old, provide a valuable glimpse into 19th-century North African society. Featuring Imazighen, Arabs, Jews and peoples from sub-Saharan Africa working as merchants, water sellers, musicians and teachers, the photographs present the ethnic diversity and cosmopolitanism that still characterize North Africa.