BONFILS, Felix

Albumen print

8 3/4 x 11 1/8 in.

Throughout the majority of the nineteenth century the Ottoman Empire controlled the region of Palestine. This area was an important destination during the nineteenth century, not only for missionaries eager to convert Jews and Muslims, but for tourists who used the Bible as the basis for their travel itineraries. Palestine was valued for its connection to this mythical past and tourists saw trips there as an opportunity to seemingly go back in time and bear witness to holy sites and ancient lifestyles. Several of the photographs and stereograms in this section refer to settings of Biblical events and include native peoples for an added touch of authenticity. In Jacobs Well Near Schechem, for example, five individuals sit or stand around the mouth of the well which was the site where Jesus is said to have told a young Samaritan woman, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. (John 4:13,14) Such images were called upon to serve as evidence of the veracity of the Bible. Some believed that photography, born out of scientific experimentation, could help eradicate doubts academics were leveling at sacred biblical truths. How could one argue with the integrity of the Bible when scientific, and therefore impartial, proof of sites therein mentioned were recorded?

1831 - 1885

Bonfils, Felix

French, 1831 - 1885

Gift of Dr. Corlette Rossiter Walker

1984.82a