Gezicht op Nazareth before 1878

Félix Bonfils made this albumen print, “View of Nazareth,” in the late 19th century, as part of a series documenting the Middle East. This photographic process, popular at the time, involved coating paper with a layer of egg white and silver nitrate. The final product is characterized by its fine detail and sepia tone, which, due to the materials and chemistry, gives the scene a timeless, almost dreamlike quality. Bonfils operated a commercial studio, catering to the burgeoning market for images of exotic locales. This kind of photography was often linked to colonial and religious interests, shaping perceptions of the region. The very act of capturing and distributing these images involved a complex network of labor, from the production of photographic materials, to the operation of the studio, and the distribution networks that brought these images to a global audience. This print, then, is not just a record of a place, but also a product of its time, reflecting the social, economic, and technological forces at play.