Israelite Character

Israelite Character, 1942. Published by La Cigogne, Casablanca.

On the eve of the Second World War, some 225,000 Jews lived in Morocco. At first glance, very little set them apart from their Arab neighbours. This type of postcard now seems rather bizarre but was very popular during the golden age of the postcard. Its declarerd purpose was to show supposedly typical specimens of the various ethnic and/or religious groups in any given location. The cards produced with this ambition in mind can vary considerably. They rarely portrayed individuals or groups in ordinary clothing or engaged in everyday pursuits, and the supposedly typical characters were often shown in highly atypical guises. Some cards effectively demeaned those portrayed, others were highly stylized in order to maximize the intended exotic effect. Numerous photographers came from mainland France with commissions from the French government who hoped such images would help attract tourists to the North African territories under its control. This card seems to belong in neither of the aforementioned categories, offering what looks like a fairly natural portrait. Then again, one can never be entirely sure what people may have “seen” when looking at the card in light of established viewing conventions at the time.