Name of Object:

Photograph: Music School, Syria

Location:

Madrid, Spain

Holding Institution:

National Museum of Anthropology

 About National Museum of Anthropology, Madrid

Holding Institution (original language):

Museo Nacional de Antropología

Date of Object:

1898–1906

Author:

Keystone View Company

Inventory Number:

MNAFD1778

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Silver gelatin print, grey cardboard

Dimensions:

18 x 9 cm

Description:

Stereoscopic photography that creates the illusion of depth of field from two apparently identical images mounted on a rigid board by using a specific viewfinder, or stereoscope.
The images taken by the Keystone View Company show very different scenes related to lifestyles and traditions of different continents. In this case, there is a man playing a stringed instrument with a bow, possibly a type of rebec, surrounded by a group of children and two adults, who watch and listen carefully. In Syria, as in many other parts of the world, music has had and still has an important role as a means of transmitting knowledge and to celebrate individual and collective events, and is closely linked to rites, institutions, cultural and ideological activities of different humans. This image illustrates not only the practice of this activity, music, but also the transfer of knowledge from one generation to another; music serves as a vehicle of expression and relationship between members of a society.

Citation of this web page:

"Photograph: Music School, Syria" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2025.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;es;10;en

Copyedited by: Anne Dowell

MWNF Working Number: SP 010