Aniers et Baudets du Caire c. 19th century

Félix Bonfils made this photograph, "Aniers et Baudets du Caire", using an albumen print. Bonfils was part of a wave of 19th-century European photographers who traveled to the Middle East, often framing their subjects through a colonial lens. Here, we see men and boys with donkeys, likely in Cairo. The photograph offers a glimpse into a specific cultural moment, capturing everyday life, yet it’s important to consider how Bonfils, as a European man, might have shaped this representation. What stories might be missed or misrepresented? How does Bonfils' position influence what he chooses to show us? Consider the act of looking: as viewers, we, too, bring our own position, our own histories to the encounter. What do you notice first? What feelings or thoughts arise as you gaze at this image of a time and place so different from our own? This photograph invites us to reflect on the complexities of cultural exchange.