Gezicht op de Olijfberg in Jeruzalem 1867 - 1900

Félix Bonfils made this photograph of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem using a photographic process sometime between 1867 and 1885. Bonfils was part of a wave of European photographers who traveled to the Middle East to document biblical sites. Photography at this time was enmeshed with European colonialism. Bonfils and others were commissioned to document the region for European audiences, reinforcing a sense of Western dominance and control. Bonfils set up a studio in Beirut, and sold images like this to tourists and religious organizations. Note the careful composition, designed to appeal to European sensibilities, this image flattens a complex region into a picturesque scene, neglecting the social realities of the people who lived there. To better understand this image, we can research the history of photography, and consider the complex social context in which it was made. By doing so, we can move beyond a simple appreciation of the image, and toward a deeper understanding of its historical and cultural significance.