Twee kinderen bij een waterpartij in de buurt van El Kantara, Algerije before 1893

This photograph, "Twee kinderen bij een waterpartij in de buurt van El Kantara, Algerije," was taken by Jules Gervais-Courtellemont, though the precise date remains unknown. Let’s consider its place within the historical context of French Orientalism. This image, viewed alongside the book in which it appeared, opens a window onto the dynamics of colonial representation. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, French artists frequently depicted scenes from North Africa, often romanticizing or exoticizing the local culture. This photograph, with its picturesque setting and focus on children, reinforces a narrative of Algeria as an idyllic and timeless place, ripe for European intervention and governance. As historians, it’s crucial to examine the social conditions of artistic production. Further archival research into Gervais-Courtellemont's biography, the publishing history of this book, and the reception of similar images at the time could reveal the social and institutional frameworks that shaped the image.