Zeven gezichten op Adalia, Spanje before 1898

Ernest Diehl created this photographic print, titled "Zeven gezichten op Adalia, Spanje," sometime around 1897. The image presents a series of snapshots of Adalia, now known as Antalya, offering a glimpse into the urban and maritime life of this Turkish city at the close of the 19th century. Consider the context: Diehl's photographs were produced during a period of significant colonial expansion and scientific exploration. Photography at this time played a crucial role in documenting and classifying cultures and landscapes for European audiences. Images like these circulated widely through journals and books. What do these images tell us? We see scenes of daily life, commerce, and the city's fortifications. The composition suggests a scientific, almost ethnographic, interest in cataloging the various facets of Adalia. This approach reflects the broader colonial gaze of the era, where non-European locations were often viewed as subjects for study and documentation. To truly understand this print, one could delve into the archives of scientific journals from the late 19th century. By researching the publications in which Diehl’s work appeared, we can better grasp the motivations behind these images and their impact on contemporary European perceptions of the Ottoman world.