Accession Number
1994/2.29.6

Title
Cazanova Nazareth

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
The four-story, stone edifice of the Casa Nova (labeled here Cazanova) dominates the composition of the photograph. The building appears relatively new and executed in a European style, complete with rounded arch shuttered windows and wrought-iron railings. Along the second-story balcony just outside the main entrance, four figures stand in clerical garments which signal their Catholic—specifically Franciscan—affiliations. A line of men of various ages and in “local” apparel stand looking at the viewer along the bottom edge of the photograph. The specificity of the different types of clothing indicate the individuals' differing social statuses, while the exact relation of the men to the Casa Nova directly behind them remains unclear. 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
A large, four-story stone building with numerous male figures standing either on the front balcony or in single file just out front. On the right-hand side of the photograph, two signs on a nearby building, written in English, read “Hotel” and “Hotel of Nazareth.”

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
Franciscan
hostels
hotels (public accommodations)
rubble
travel photography