17.00 USD
Gorgeous image of Kabyle woman in traditional dress.
The Kabyle are a Berber people who primarily populated the coastal mountain regions of northern Algeria, known as the Maghreb, at the time this portrait was made.
Since that period of French colonialism, though French is still commonly spoken in modern Algeria, Arabic is now the official language, and Kabyle is a co-official language, spoken by about 30 percent of the population.
France now has a great many Kabyle people who have made France their home, enriching it culturally, but early on, as a direct result of the French colonization of Algeria, the costume, music, and dance of the Kabyle greatly enriched the theater, and both fine and commercial art produced in France (and consequently worldwide), during the era known as la Belle Epoque.
Jean Théophile Geiser 1848-1923 moved with his family, while a very young child, from his native Switzerland to Algeria in the early 1850s. By the late 1860s he had opened his own photography studio and over the next half century enjoyed great success, both in the winning of international awards for his work, and financially, through the sale of countless of his photographic images on picture postcards.
Though probably best known today for his "ethnic" nudes and costumed dancers, the popularity of which in France, no doubt played a great role in the prevalence of the "costume orientale" and "haremesque" imagery in Belle Epoque art and theater, he also traveled extensively throughout the east, photographing and writing on a broad array of subjects.
Please examine our high res scans for detail.
Postage is for first class shipping in a secure photo mailer, and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will refund the postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of sudden increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more.
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redpoulaine.blogspot.com
where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!