Straatgezicht in Jeruzalem bij de Jaffapoort c. 1880 - 1885

This albumen print by Félix Bonfils captures a bustling street scene in Jerusalem near the Jaffa Gate. The dominant visual symbols are the figures traversing the street, rendered in a dance of light and shadow, and the laden camels, stoic against the human bustle. Consider the camel: across millennia, it has appeared in Mesopotamian friezes, ancient trade routes, and biblical narratives. In each context, the camel is a beast of burden, a symbol of endurance and resourcefulness, yet also of the exotic and the distant. Here, the camel is not merely an animal but an embodiment of the intersection of trade, culture, and survival in this landscape. Like a recurring dream, the image of the camel returns, each time slightly altered by the cultural landscape it traverses. We see this in modern advertising where it represents far-flung travel and adventure. The photograph taps into something primordial, a collective memory of ancient caravans and distant lands. Its presence stirs subconscious associations. It’s as though Bonfils has captured not just a moment in time but a piece of the collective human experience.