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Vue générale de Jéricho—General view of Jericho

Felix Bonfils

Artwork Details

Vue générale de Jéricho—General view of Jericho
circa 1867-1885
Felix Bonfils
albumen print on paper
10 15/16 in x 14 in (27.78 cm x 35.56 cm)
Gift of Margaret and Howard Bond
1994/2.31.2

Description

Subject Matter:

An agglomeration of crude, wood-and-straw huts, circumscribed by the intersection of two dirt paths, marks the location of the ancient city of Jericho. The foreground of the photograph is veritably barren. Appearing as though deserted, the small village in the middle ground emerges from the surrounding arid landscape. Pockets of deep shadow created by the huts’ overhangs provide the main indicators of human inhabitance. The mountains in the distance hover like watchful specters between the ground and sky. This image is one of hundreds of photographs made throughout Bonfils' career which purport to document various landscapes, cityscapes, and people of the eastern Mediterranean. 

Physical Description:

In this photograph, a group of wood-and-straw huts is nestled into a mostly flat and arid landscape with mountains in the distance. 

Usage Rights:

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