Photography Museum of Marrakesh

The Photography Museum of Marrakesh (also known by its French name, Maison de la Photographie) is located in the historic medina of Marrakesh, Morocco. It opened in April 2009, with a collection of photographs spanning from the 1870s to the 1950s.

History of the location

The Photography Museum opened in a renovated funduq (an inn for merchants and travellers). This cultural venue was established by Patrick Manac’h and Hamid Mergani as a place where old photographs taken in Morocco could be shown to the public. The museum was opened in 2009.[1]

The collection

Although it started with a collection of a few thousand, the Photography Museum now has a collection of around 10,000 documents and photographs, covering the period 1870-1960.[2][3] It highlights the origins of photography in Morocco, with works by the early photographers who worked there, including George Washington Wilson, A. Cavilla and Marcelin Flandrin.

The collection includes some unusual aspects of Morocco, through pictures of the archaeological site of Volubilis (photographs by Henri de La Martinière), Moroccan landscapes (photographs by J. Belin for example), and important architectural complexes and casbah. Portraits are given prominence, including those by H. Regnault (1870), Adolf de Meyer (Camera Work), and J. Robichez.

The collection of the Photography Museum represents various historical and cultural aspects of Morocco, such as Berber culture, which is portrayed in photographs and the first documentary filmed in colour by Daniel Chicault in Morocco in 1957 on the Berber tribes of the High Atlas.

The collection also comprises a large series of glass plates (photographic plates) taken by anonymous photographers, travellers on their Grand Tour of Morocco.

Activities

The House of Photography holds exhibitions of photos from its collection on different themes, which change every six months. It is also a research centre offering teachers and students information on the history and heritage of Morocco, as well as an educational tool available to schools.

References
  1. "Patrick Manac'h Maison de la Photographie Marrakech". Yacout Info.
  2. "La collection". Maison De La Photographie de Marrakech (in French). 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  3. Rogers, Amanda E. (2012). "La Maison de la Photographie. Tafza Berber Ecomuseum". African Arts (review). 45 (2): 88–89.

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