Optocht van het Franse leger na de inname van Constantine, oktober 1837 1838

Auguste Raffet made this print, “Procession of the French Army after the Capture of Constantine, October 1837,” to commemorate France’s colonial conquest of Algeria. Through his chosen medium, Raffet's image enters the stream of mass media and cultural representations. Constantine, in Algeria, was a strategic conquest for the French, and Raffet's composition constructs a narrative of triumph. Note the orderly ranks of soldiers set against the city, signaling France's military might and imperial ambition. The procession becomes a symbolic act of dominance, framing the French army as agents of civilization. But what is absent? Where are the Algerian people? The underrepresentation of the colonized population underscores the power dynamics at play. In understanding art like this, historians consult military records, colonial archives, and the writings of both colonizers and the colonized. This helps us reveal the complex relationship between art and social power.