Marché à Fez 1887

Félix Ziem created this oil on wood painting, titled "Marché à Fez", to capture a scene from a market in Fez, Morocco. The hazy style evokes the picturesque "orientalism" so popular in French painting of the mid-19th century. From Delacroix onward, French artists had mined North Africa for scenes of exotic, pre-modern life. This image creates a feeling of authenticity, but we should remember that France colonized Algeria in 1830, with Morocco soon to follow. So what can be said about the politics of imagery that presents North Africa as outside history? Does painting of this kind serve as a form of cultural appropriation, normalizing French expansion? What is the public role of art when a picture of a distant land is displayed in a Parisian Salon? As historians, we can consult travel writing and diplomatic records to build a more comprehensive understanding of this painting's meanings and impact. By delving deeper into the social and institutional contexts, we reveal how art reflects and shapes the world around it.