Artwork

Femmes musulmanes Syriennes à Beyrouth, Costume de Ville (Man on a Donkey)

Femmes musulmanes Syriennes à Beyrouth, Costume de Ville (Man on a Donkey) is a photography by the Impressionist artist Félix Bonfils. It dates from 1884 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

You see a man riding a donkey in this picture.
The man is dressed in traditional clothing, and the scene looks like a street in a Middle Eastern city. This photo was made using a process called photochrom, where a black-and-white image is colored by hand.
You can learn more about this kind of image by looking at the work of artist: Félix Bonfils (French, 1831–1885)

Overview

Femmes musulmanes Syriennes à Beyrouth, Costume de Ville (commonly referenced as 'Man on a Donkey') is a photochrom photograph depicting a man in traditional attire riding a donkey, set against the backdrop of a Middle Eastern street, specifically in Beirut.

Subject & Meaning

The subject of the photograph highlights everyday life in Beirut, focusing on traditional Syrian Muslim clothing in an urban setting. The image likely aimed to capture and convey cultural nuances to its audience, particularly in the European market, during a period of heightened interest in Orientalist themes.

Technique & Style

Created using the photochrom process, the image began as a black-and-white photographic negative, which was then transferred to a lithographic stone. Multiple stones, each representing a single color, were layered over the base image to achieve the final, hand-colored effect. Notably, the colorists responsible for the final appearance had no visual reference to the actual location.

History & Provenance

Dating back to the late 19th to early 20th century (1890s-1910s), this photochrom aligns with the peak popularity of the technique.

Dating back to the late 19th to early 20th century (1890s-1910s), this photochrom aligns with the peak popularity of the technique. Originally, such pieces were either collected in albums or framed for display. The specific provenance of this work, including its creator, is not detailed in the provided information, though it stylistically resonates with the broader photographic output of the era, akin to the works of Félix Bonfils.

Context

Produced during a time of growing European fascination with the Middle East, this photochrom would have catered to the Orientalist curiosity of its time. The technology of photochroms made colorful, somewhat accessible 'experiences' of foreign locales possible for a wider audience.

Legacy

While not specifically attributed to a renowned photographer like Félix Bonfils in the provided text, this photochrom contributes to the historical record of Beirut's street life and fashion during the late 19th/early 20th century. It also showcases the photochrom technique's role in popularizing colored photographic images before more direct color photography methods emerged.