Muwafaq el Rawas, now a Sheikh. Madani’s parents’ home, the studio, Saida, Lebanon, 1948-53. Hashem el Madani 2007

Curator: I see such earnestness in this portrait. There's a stillness, a quiet sort of pride. Editor: This photograph, taken by Hashem el Madani between 1948 and 1953 in Saida, Lebanon, is titled "Muwafaq el Rawas, now a Sheikh. Madani’s parents’ home, the studio, Saida, Lebanon, 1948-53." It captures a young man, likely in his early teens, posing with a radio. Akram Zaatari later brought Madani's work to a wider audience. Curator: It's the radio that really gets me. It's almost like a character itself—this big, shiny thing, a portal to the world. Editor: Absolutely. The radio was a symbol of modernity, connection to global culture and events. Madani, through his studio portraits, was documenting a changing Lebanese society. The sitter's future as a Sheikh adds an interesting layer, doesn’t it? A tension between tradition and modernity. Curator: Exactly! And there’s something so tender about preserving these moments, you know? Like little time capsules of identity. Editor: They really are. They remind us that even in posed formality, human stories persist. It makes you wonder what kind of music he listened to.