Artwork
Femmes musulmanes Syriennes à Beyrouth, Costume de Ville
Femmes musulmanes Syriennes à Beyrouth, Costume de Ville 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
Overview
The image presents two Syrian women strolling along a sun‑lit street in Beirut, each dressed in dark, embroidered garments and white headscarves. One supports a parasol while the other clutches a small book, creating a quiet, everyday scene captured in early color photography.
Technique & Style
The work is a photochrom, a color print produced by transferring a black‑and‑white negative onto a lithographic stone. Separate stones, each bearing a single ink hue, were printed in succession—typically six to fifteen layers—to build the final image. The colorists, who had never visited Beirut, applied their best guesses, giving the picture a vivid yet slightly imagined palette.
Subject & Meaning
The photograph records ordinary urban life in early twentieth‑century Beirut, focusing on female mobility and attire. The embroidered dresses and modest headscarves reflect contemporary Syrian fashion, while the parasol and book suggest leisure and literacy among women of the period.
History & Provenance
Photochroms enjoyed popularity from the 1890s through the 1910s, often compiled in albums or displayed as framed wall pieces. This particular print, like many of its kind, was likely produced for commercial distribution, offering Western audiences a colored glimpse of Middle‑Eastern urban scenes.
Artist & collection
![A Shaykh with his Son[?] on Mules, with their Sais [groom], by S. Bossi](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/s-bossi--a-shaykh-with-his-son-on-mules-with-their-sais-groom--240d85ba529e2bf3-w320.webp)
