Twee Europese mannen en een Marokkaanse man in de tuin van de Resident Generaal te Fez Possibly 1927

Editor: This photograph, "Twee Europese mannen en een Marokkaanse man in de tuin van de Resident Generaal te Fez," possibly from 1927, by A.G.A. van Eelde, really captures a specific moment in time. The composition, with the three men posed somewhat formally in what looks like a government official’s garden, feels quite staged. What do you make of it? Curator: This image speaks volumes about the power dynamics of the colonial era. The "Resident Generaal," by definition, represented French power in Morocco. So, positioning the Europeans within his garden, alongside a Moroccan man, it subtly reinforces a hierarchy. What do you observe about their clothing and posture? Editor: The two European men appear to be dressed in what I would describe as everyday European clothing, while the Moroccan man is dressed in more traditional clothing, a fez specifically. Their posture seems quite casual, almost as if they're on display. Curator: Exactly. The setting is carefully arranged to showcase this interplay between colonizer and colonized. The very act of photographing this scene turns it into a document, a form of visual record-keeping that reinforced colonial narratives about who held power, and what roles each group occupied within Moroccan society under French rule. It raises a poignant question: Who was the intended audience for this photograph, and what message was it meant to convey? Editor: So it's less about capturing an everyday scene, and more about creating a visual representation of colonial power? It feels constructed, like propaganda almost. Curator: Precisely. Consider the Orientalist style. It often romanticized the "East," but in a way that also solidified European dominance. These images circulated, shaping perceptions and justifying political actions. Editor: I hadn't considered the role the photograph itself played in that power dynamic. Thank you, that really opens up a new way of understanding it for me. Curator: It's about understanding art's complicity, and its potential for challenging such narratives, even decades later.