Name of Object:

Photograph: A Mohammedan Funeral, Egypt

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:

1899

Author:

Keystone View Company

Inventory Number:

MNAFD1633

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 a two-dimensional image by using a specific viewfinder, or stereoscope. The photograph is formed by two apparently identical images mounted on a rigid board. Stereographic cards turned into a popular entertainment medium from the late 1880s until 1970, reaching its peak of popularity in the first decade of the twentieth century. The ceremonies of funeral, studied for example by the British anthropologist Edward William Lane around the time of the dating of the photography, are very similar for men and women: the wailing is produced by the family and community, and is accompanied by a series of prayers from the Qur´an and ritual cleansing of the body. In this photography, within this "farewell ceremony" we can distinguish the coffin and the funeral procession, mostly male, who plays different songs and prayers; after the coffin, the procession would be closed for the mourners.

Citation of this web page:

"Photograph: A Mohammedan Funeral, Egypt" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2025.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;es;8;en

Copyedited by: Anne Dowell

MWNF Working Number: SP 008