Artwork Page for Jewish Woman in Algeria

Details / Information for Jewish Woman in Algeria

Jewish Woman in Algeria

c. 1875

attributed to Jean Geiser

(Swiss, 1848–1923, active in Algeria)
Culture
Switzerland
Medium
albumen print from glass negative
Measurements
Image: 20.3 x 15.7 cm (8 x 6 3/16 in.); Mounted: 44.7 x 30.6 cm (17 5/8 x 12 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Jo Hershey Selden Fund 2024.7
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

This woman’s dress, its decoration, and her jewelry help identify her as a Jewish woman in Algeria.

Description

It is possible that this photograph was intended as an ethnographic study, but it conveys the sitter’s individuality, beauty, and dignity in a way that we associate with portraits. Muslim Arabs and Berbers, who comprised the majority of people living in Algeria, would most likely not have let their women be photographed without a veil covering the face.
A vertical oval albumen print depicts a seated woman with light skin tone, body turned right and head turned toward our left. She wears a jeweled headband and multiple necklaces of coins and beads. Her dress features dark velvet sleeves and a bodice with intricate scrollwork embroidery. Her ringed hands hold a rolled white object in her lap, while a long chain hangs from her waist and a dark veil falls behind her.

Jewish Woman in Algeria

c. 1875

Jean Geiser

(Swiss, 1848–1923, active in Algeria)
Switzerland

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