4001 - Algeria

Algeria Photographers: Charles Leinack (active 1850s–1860s), Alary & Geiser (active 1852–ca. 1864), A. Astorc (active 1860s), Eug. Jacquet (active ca. 1860s–1870s), L. Fragney (active ca. 1860s–1870s), Vve Plasse et Oberty (active 1860s), M. & Mme Prod’hom (active ca. 1865–1870), and others. People of Algeria. Late 1860s–1870s. 80 albumen prints, several hand-colored, mounted on carte-de-visite cards. Each ca. 10 x 6 cm. Several bear photographers’ imprints on the front or back; most are annotated in French in an unidentified hand on the back. This lot comprises a compelling collection of 19th-century studio portraits depicting men, women, and children from Algiers, Constantine, Bône, Biskra, and surrounding regions, many shown in traditional dress within staged interiors. Period annotations identify the subjects as Kabyle, Ouled Naïl, Jewish, Arab, and sub-Saharan, alongside military, social, and occupational figures. Produced for a European market, the photographs reflect the visual culture of colonial Algeria, combining ethnographic classification with the conventions of Orientalist studio photography. – Some cards show slight signs of aging, with scuff marks and minor surface imperfections; otherwise, all are in good to very good condition.