Casablanca.—The Jewish Quarter
Casablanca.—The Jewish Quarter, a Group of Israelites. Published by P. Grébert, Casablanca.
In the early twentieth century, more than a quarter of the population of the Atlantic port city of Casablanca was Jewish. The mellah (as Jewish quarters in Morocco were called) was hopelessly overcrowded. After the French navy shelled the city in 1907, causing massive damage, Jews also began to settle outside the mellah. Following his medical discharge from the French military, likely in 1907, Pierre Grébert settled as a photographer in Casablanca for some ten years and produced several series of postcards designed to present members of various social, religious and ethnic groups in ostensible real-life situations. As this card illustrates, this is rather easier said than done. Even in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere most people who know they are being photographed find it extremely difficult to behave as they would if they were not being observed. Grébert published this card at least twice, here with his name on the front, on another occasion with his name on the back. The presence of the military censor’s stamp suggests that the card dates from the period between 1912, when most of Morocco became a French protectorate, and the end of the First World War.
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