Lebanon
بيروت: ضوء على ورق
Beirut: Light on paper 1850-1915.
Beirut, Syria , photographs,1850-1915, Badr el-Hage
169pp. Arabic text, profusely illustrated in duotone 19th century photographs; Index; Biblio, Paperback binding,copy new in mint condition.
Badr El-Hage chose Beirut, lifting the veil on scenes and places that marked the heart of the capital between 1850 and 1915, but have ceased to exist in our collective memory. The first chapter is dedicated to the contextual climate that prevailed in the city from the second half of the nineteenth century as well as the geographical, economic and social factors that fueled its expansion and urbanization making it a destination for prominent photographers. Being a visual documentation, the work attends in its second chapter to the birth, evolution and impact of photography, with emphasis on its invasion of the Levant and the studios established by foreign photographers in Beirut. The author analyses the background that paved way for the rich photographic productions that pervaded the capital at the time. He then moves to display a collection of rare photos taken in Beirut during that era, reviving in our minds scenes and places that testify best to the radical and bitter changes that affected the city and consequently altered its identity.
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