Inwoners van Tunis, 1726 1726

Carel Allard produced this etching of ‘Inwoners van Tunis’ in 1726. Look closely, and you'll see Allard's depiction of a man and a woman from Tunis set against a landscape featuring the city itself. The clothing of the figures offers a glimpse into the social norms and cultural expectations of Tunis at this time. The man is dressed in what might be considered traditional attire, but it’s the woman’s garment that perhaps speaks volumes. Fully veiled, her clothing is indicative of the complex interplay between modesty, religion, and societal roles that women navigated. How might the experience of a woman in Tunis at that time differed based on her social class or religious affiliation? How did the visual representation of people from different cultures reinforce or challenge existing stereotypes? These are questions that works like this invite us to ask. They remind us that even seemingly simple images can be rich sources of insight into the past.