The Court of Lions in the Alhambra, Spain 1855

This photograph of the Court of the Lions in the Alhambra, Spain, was taken by John Gregory Crace in the 19th century. Crace was a British interior designer known for his work on the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. Crace’s photograph speaks to the 19th-century European fascination with the “Orient,” reflecting a colonial gaze that exoticized and romanticized non-Western cultures. The Alhambra, a Moorish palace, became a site of cultural appropriation, embodying European fantasies of the exotic "other." Notice the figures in the photograph. Their presence—likely tourists—highlights the act of observation and possession inherent in the colonial project. They are stand-ins for us, the viewer, suggesting an active role in perpetuating these historical dynamics. The photograph invites us to consider our own positionality in relation to these historical narratives. How do we grapple with the complex layers of cultural exchange, appropriation, and power embedded within this image?