Working Number | Name | Holding Museum | Date | Materials | Curator Justification |
IT1 119 | The Italian Politeama Rossini theatre in Tunis, inaugurated in 1903 | Italian Geographical Society (SGI) | 1903–06 | | The Italian community in Tunisia established its first theatre in Tunis as early as 1826 and several others in the following decades. The Politeama Rossini, inaugurated in 1903, was famous for its grand performances of the great classic operas.
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TN 032 | Municipal theatre | | 1902 | | The Art Nouveau Municipal Theatre in Tunis was built by the French architect Resplandy and inaugurated in 1902. It hosted performances of dramas, tragedies, comedies and operas. Meanwhile, the city’s Casino Municipal (1902) specialised in operetta and variety and the Casino du Belvédère (1901) was dedicated to music hall performances.
Working Number | Name | Holding Museum | Date | Materials | Curator Justification |
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TN 032 | Municipal theatre | | 1902 | | The Art Nouveau Municipal Theatre in Tunis was built by the French architect Resplandy and inaugurated in 1902. It hosted performances of dramas, tragedies, comedies and operas. Meanwhile, the city’s Casino Municipal (1902) specialised in operetta and variety and the Casino du Belvédère (1901) was dedicated to music hall performances. | |
IT1 008 | Organ Made in Tunis by the Italian Firm Cesare Trionfo and Exhibited in Milan | Italian Geographical Society (SGI) | 1906 | | This musical instrument provides a material example of dialogue between European and indigenous North African and Arab cultures. Typologically part of the European musical tradition, it was made in Tunis by an Italian immigrant who decorated it with Arab-style ornaments.
Working Number | Name | Holding Museum | Date | Materials | Curator Justification |
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FR 146 | Illustrated dictionary of Tunisia: the people and things of Tunisia | National Library of France | 1912 | | At the top of the page, one can see the advertisement of the shop of the Italian immigrant Cesare Trionfo, selling pianos, harmoniums and other musical instruments from 1 rue de l’Italie, Tunis. | |
TN 036 | Hôtel Majestic | | Late 19th – early 20th centuries | | Built in 1914, the Majestic Hotel in Tunis was a meeting place for the colonial elite. About a decade earlier, another Western-style imposing hotel had opened in town, the Tunisia Palace. The former with 200 rooms, and the latter with 150, such hotels testify to the increasing number of tourists and travellers in Tunis.
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GR 027 | Family gathering in Alexandria | Benaki Museum | 1889 | Photo B/W | Family gatherings helped immigrants to reaffirm and consolidate kin solidarity, which in turn provided crucial support when facing the difficulties of a new and alien environment. Religious festivals, marriages, births and other life-cycle events provided opportunities for extended families to get together and strengthen their ties.
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ET1 075 | Opera House, 1869 | Bibliotheca Alexandrina | 1869 | | In 1869, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Suez Canal, Khedive Ismail had a Western-style opera house built. Known as the Khedivial (Royal) Opera House, it was designed by two Italian architects, Avoscani and Rossi.
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ET1 087 | Alexandria Sporting Club | Bibliotheca Alexandrina | | | The Alexandria Sporting Club was founded in 1890 and was one of the oldest clubs in Egypt. Established as a horse racing and social club, from around 1920 it also included a golf course. In colonial times, Egyptians were not admitted. The Club still exists today.
Working Number | Name | Holding Museum | Date | Materials | Curator Justification |
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GR 028 | Antonis Benakis at the Sporting Club in Alexandria | Benaki Museum | 1888–1920 | Photograph | The Alexandria Sporting Club was a meeting place for the European elite in Egypt. | |