By Jamal Kanj

This is a review of an exceptional photo book, Images of Palestine (1898-1946). The book is a collection of photographs that spans nearly five decades, captured in the period leading up to the Palestine Nakba.

Together, these black-and-white images chronicle a vibrant and diverse Palestinian society, highlighting its connection to the land, its achievements in commerce, architecture, and civil society, and its development into a modern socio-political entity chafing to break free from colonial domination.

The photographs cover the final years of the Ottoman Empire, World War I, the establishment of the British Mandate of Palestine, the large-scale European Jewish immigration under British colonial rule, and the emergence of a popular movement for Palestinian independence.

The photographers were members of the American Colony Photo Department and employees of the Photo Department’s successor, the Matson Photographic Service. The American Colony was a Christian utopian community founded in Jerusalem in 1871. Its members began taking photographs in the late 1890s, eventually developing a full-fledged photographic division.

In the 1940s, the American Colony ceased to exist as a religious community, but the photographic work was continued by Colony member G. Eric Matson under the name Matson Photographic Service.

More than 23,000 glass and film negatives, transparencies, and photographic prints created by the American Colony Photo Department and the Matson Photo Service were transferred to the Library of Congress between 1966 and 1981. Since then, the images have been digitized for archival preservation by the Library of Congress.

The American Colony did not set out to document the emergence of modern Palestine through its photographs. Instead, its efforts were driven by a religious utopian vision. Composed of American and Swedish immigrants living in Jerusalem, the Colony’s work was deeply influenced by this vision, as well as by the Orientalist perspectives its members carried with them. These influences are evident in both their choice of photographic subjects and the descriptions accompanying the images in their archives.

The photo book is divided into eight galleries, each designed to highlight a unique and integral aspect of the pre-1948 vibrant Palestinian societal structure. The galleries serve as a visual narrative, weaving together the diverse cultural, social, and economic elements that define the collective community.

Each segment focuses on specific themes, such as City Life, Commercial, Education, Landscape, Medical, Colonialism and Resistance, Palestine Broadcast Service, and Individual Portraits, creating a comprehensive portrayal of the dynamic interplay within the society.

This structured approach provides a glimpse into an aspect of Palestinian life, enabling viewers to appreciate the richness and depth of the community’s identity through a curated lens, delivering a meaningful and immersive experience.

During the period when these photos were taken, Palestinians endured three distinct forms of foreign intervention: the Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate, and the large European Jewish immigration supported by British colonial authorities, aimed at transforming Palestine into a new political and social entity. This was combined with the emergence of a popular movement for Palestinian independence.

The interplay between external interventions and indigenous social and economic structures, along with the resulting conflicts, is vividly depicted in the stories these photographs convey. However, these stories are not bound to a single moment in history. Instead, they are part of an ongoing historical continuum. The underlying dynamics that shaped them persist, with their narratives continuing to evolve and unfold visibly in the present day.

While Palestinian society during this period was often described as “traditional” by external observers, the photographs reveal a sophisticated social fabric. Palestinian cities boasted thriving marketplaces, diverse religious and cultural communities, and connections to regional and international trade networks.

Intellectual life flourished in urban centers, with schools, mosques, churches, and libraries serving as vibrant hubs of education and cultural exchange. This blend of tradition and modernity highlighted the resilience and adaptability of Palestinian society in navigating external interventions and shifting historical dynamics.

The over 200 large-size page photobook was produced by KARAMA, San Diego, California, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to promoting understanding of the Arab and Islamic world, with a particular focus on Palestine. KARAMA launched its Palestine Photography Project in 2015, believing that distributing high-quality photographs of life in Palestine prior to 1948 could effectively convey the dignity, humanity, and cultural richness of the Palestinian people.

In addition to the photo book, the Palestine Photography Project has created a portable “Museum-in-a-Box,” featuring selected photographs from the book, designed for tabletop display at community events. The photobook and the Museum-in-a-Box, as well as individual prints of the photos, can be ordered here.

Images of Palestine (1898-1946) is a must have coffee table book!

– Jamal Kanj is the author of “Children of Catastrophe,” Journey from a Palestinian Refugee Camp to America, and other books. He writes frequently on Arab world issues for various national and international commentaries. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle