Accession Number
1994/2.31.2

Title
Vue générale de Jéricho—General view of Jericho

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
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. 

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
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Keywords
cultural landscapes
hills
historic towns
huts (houses)
mountains
natural landscapes
travel photography