Albumin print, photography, ND Phot, Oran Algeria, Le Marche du Village Negre, circa 1885

This historical photograph shows a fascinating, bustling, and ethnographically highly significant scene at the market of the so-called Village Nègre in the Algerian coastal city of Oran, taken as an original albumin print mounted on cardboard. The albumin process used was the dominant photochemical technique of that era, in which egg white was used to bind the light-sensitive silver salts to the paper, giving the photographs their characteristic warm sepia tone, a soft glossy surface, and high detail sharpness.

Masterfully composed in landscape format, the motif documents the busy, dense market activity with numerous market tents and locals in the traditional clothing of the region, making the photograph an invaluable visual document of daily life in colonial Algeria. A highly fascinating cultural-historical detail is located in the bottom right foreground, where 4 prominently standing individuals can be identified, who are obviously European colonialists or visitors observing the Oriental happenings. In the background, the French inscription "Buvette du Marché" is clearly legible on a permanent building, which translates to market tavern or market café, illustrating the colonial influence on the infrastructure. The authorship is undisputedly attributed to the famous French photo studio of Neurdein Frères due to the original signature in the photo negative, which was world-renowned under the abbreviation N.D. PHOT. for its outstanding travel and ethnographic photographs from North Africa.

This print was produced in the period between 1880 and 1890, during the heyday of colonial photo-tourism. The antique collector's item features the photograph dimensions of 27,6 x 21,5 cm mounted on a 29,1 x 22,8 cm original cardboard backing and is in good age-appropriate condition with a slight toning. Yellowed margins, small light creases at the edges and corners, as well as slight foxing on the back. The upper right corner of the backing cardboard is slightly clipped. The bottom margin features the original white caption within the photo negative: "239. ORAN - Le Marché du Village Nègre - N.D. Phot."