Viewing Egyptians
The popularity of postcards in the 20th century changed the outlook of foreigners on Egyptian culture, specifically on the Egyptian people. The images of Egyptians in their daily lives, carrying out daily tasks, were some of the most popular types of postcards. In many cases photographers captured and posed Egyptians with the archaeological sites, especially the Giza Plateau and the Nile. This juxtaposition of Egyptians with their natural and historical landscapes might offer something of local color, it also has the power to relegate these individuals as so much window dressing to the monuments. In some instances, it is clear that local guides and Bedouin simply provide a sense of scale for the architectural wonders that dominate the images. Ethnographic scenes of village and urban life without the archaeological ruins were another major category of postcards that tourists and expats consumed in large numbers and helped to frame Egypt in the orientalist tropes of an exotic and antique land that had only just begun to embrace modernity.
Posing With The Sphinx People At The Pyramids People And The Nile