alexandria42’s photos / Tags / alexandria
Posted on Nov 26, 2007 in preambulatory | Permalink
This image of wrapping paper is titled “Hannaux, Alexandria wrapping paper - memories of shopping with my mother,” and is one of many photos tagged “Alexandria” by woman with the username alexandria42. The stream of photos portrays a fascinating visual history of a family named Cohen, the father of which was an English banker living in Alexandria from the 1930s through the 50s. Alexandria42 apparently attended the prestigious English Girls’ College (EGC) in Alexandria as a young person, and many of her family photos portray this institution.
What is curious about the dozens of photos I’ve viewed is what is absent from the pictures (as is often the case). Seen here is England on the Egyptian Med and rarely does one see anyone who appears to be of Arab descent. (To be fair, the majority of these are obviously family pictures and by no means a representative cross-section of mid-20th century Alexandria.) Undeniably, though, I think the photos as a whole intimate the history of British imperial hegemony as it extended around the globe in general and in Alexandria in particular. The Brits occupied Egypt from 1882 until 1956, and their worldmaking was a formula of cultural interjection and domination that spanned the globe. And other defining historical moments are revealed as well, as in this photo below from 1935.
Such a personal archive of old analogue photographs is quite rare to find online. Thanks to alexandria42 for making them available to the rest of us.