Nain

Accession Number
1994/2.29.2

Title
Nain

Artist(s)
Felix Bonfils

Artist Nationality
French (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
circa 1867-1885

Medium & Support
​albumen print on paper

Dimensions
10 15/16 in x 14 in (27.78 cm x 35.56 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Margaret and Howard Bond

Subject matter
In this photograph, a narrow ribbon of flat rooftops in the distance indicates the village of Nain. Intersecting rows of trees, shrubs, and cacti, as well as nearly imperceptible stone walls, crisscross through the fields of long grass in the foreground. The distant hills provide an imposing backdrop for the meager village at their feet and form a high, undulating horizon line. An uneven strip of blank sky fills the upper third of the photograph. This image is one of hundreds of photographs made throughout Bonfils's career which purport to document various landscapes, cityscapes, and people of the eastern Mediterranean.

Physical Description
Fields of tall grass, along with trees and other foliage in the foreground recede away from the viewer toward the feet of the hills in the background. Two-thirds up from the bottom of the photograph, a small grouping of flat rooftops suggest a small settlement. 

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
hills
natural landscapes
shrubs
travel photography
villages

1 Related Resource

Nature in Photography
(Part of 3 Learning Collections)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted