Felix Bonfils (1831-1885)

Period albumen print signed in the plate (circa 1870).

Felix Bonfils (1831-1885)

- Photo Format 22x 28.5 cm

- Sous passe-partout 40x50cm

"Muslim schoolmaster in Syria".

A Muslim schoolmaster in Syria with three young pupils are staged in a studio setting faithfully recreating a Middle Eastern interior, with a painted background depicting an archway and a patterned carpet.

The schoolmaster, dressed in traditional costume, teaches from a large book, surrounded by children also holding books.

Felix Bonfils was a French photographer (1831 - 1885). He learned phography from Niepce de Saint-Victor, nephew of Nicéphore Niepce.

He opened his photographic studio in 1867 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is famous for his photographs of architecture and landscapes of Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Greece.

Bonfils, in addition to his landscapes and architectural photographs, is dedicated to documenting the lives of indigenous people in the Middle East.

link to https://www.lavalisearlesienne.com/product-page/felix-bonfils-1831-1885-ecole-musulmane-syrienne-circa-1870