Drie mannen met geweren en glazen in de hand staand bij een water c. 1870 - 1891

This vintage photograph titled 'Three men with guns and glasses in hand standing by a water', was taken by Hippolyte Arnoux. The three figures are Europeans, probably French, leisurely hunting and drinking by a watering hole in what is likely colonial Algeria or another North African locale. The act of photographing itself positions Arnoux and his subjects within the complicated and often violent history of colonialism. The serene scene is a constructed image that romanticizes the colonizers' presence while likely ignoring or erasing the experiences and histories of the indigenous population. The guns casually held speak volumes about power dynamics, the disregard for local cultures, and the exploitation of natural resources. What does it mean for these men to possess both the land and the leisure to enjoy it? How does their presence affect the local population and the environment? This photograph serves as a reminder of how photography can be both a tool of documentation and a medium for shaping perceptions.