Gezicht op de Sidi Boumediene moskee in Tlemcen, Algerije before 1893

This photograph of the Sidi Boumediene mosque in Tlemcen, Algeria, was taken by Jules Gervais-Courtellemont, some time between the 1890s and the 1930s. It presents the mosque’s architecture: geometric ornamentation, and the traditional archway, a kind of visual shorthand of Islamic identity. Consider the role of photography in shaping European perceptions of North Africa during this period. Photography offered a sense of authenticity and immediacy, which shaped colonial attitudes and policies. This image, like many of the time, reflects the Orientalist fascination with North Africa, reducing a complex society to simplified, aestheticized images. The Rijksmuseum's decision to acquire and display this photograph speaks to the complex relationship between museums and colonial history, where cultural institutions were complicit in perpetuating colonial narratives. To understand this photograph better, we can turn to archives of colonial-era photography, travel literature, and historical studies of French colonialism in Algeria. By exploring these resources, we can better understand the social and institutional contexts in which it was made.