Cleveland Museum of Art

Jewish Woman in Algeria

Jean Geiser

Date

c. 1875

Medium

albumen print from glass negative

Culture

Switzerland

Department

Photography

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

It is possible that this photograph was intended as an ethnographic study, but it conveys the sitter’s individuality, beauty, and dignity in a way that we associate with portraits. Muslim Arabs and Berbers, who comprised the majority of people living in Algeria, would most likely not have let their women be photographed without a veil covering the face. This woman’s dress, its decoration, and her jewelry help identify her as a Jewish woman in Algeria.

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