Album with Photographs of Daily Life in Cairo
Dublin Core
Title
Album with Photographs of Daily Life in Cairo
Description
This album of black and white photographs was a gift to Bert Fish from fellow United States diplomat and amateur photographer Burton Yost Berry. It is believed that Berry worked for the American Legation at Cairo during the summer of 1938, as evidenced by Berry's inscription on the inside cover of the album:
The images reflect daily life in Cairo in 1938, particularly along the Nile river and in the ancient areas of the city that constitute Historic Cairo (also known as Islamic Cairo). Historic Cairo is known for its mosques, madrasses, hammams, and other examples of medieval Islamic architecture. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
Berry's photographs document what he calls Cairo's "old customs" and emphasize Egypt's traditional trades and crafts; reliance upon manual labor; local religion and festivals; and dependence upon the Nile. He captures the daily lives of ordinary Egyptians as they work, socialize, and fulfill household duties.
Each photograph in the series is described with a handwritten caption, transcribed below:
[photo 1] Cairo is a great modern city where old customs persist.
[photo 2] Men, wearing ankle-lenght shirts, scrub floors while standing.
[photo 3] and sweep away fallen leaves in public parks with brooms made of twigs.
[photo 4] The Arabic Quarter "dresses up" for local festivals;
[photo 5] wealthy merchants decorate their stores with showy gewgaws.
[photo 6] and itinerant vendors sell sugar confections in temporary booths.
[photo 7] In the streets, even today many people pause at a mosque doorr for a short prayer;
[photo 8] urchins beg a deep drink of cool water from teh waterseller's full goatskin,
[photo 9] while workmen purchase or a millieme a glass of barley water,
[photo 10] or iced licorice-flavored water,
[photo 11] In the side streets old men sell fruit from their pushcarts,
[photo 12] young men carry foodstuffs on their heads or in their arms,
[photo 13] and everywhere cheap labor banishes expensive machines.
[photo 14] In the Bazaars every craft continues to have its own district;
[photo 15] each brass merchant patiently awaiting buyers sits in his stall,
[photo 16] the tent-maker reclines dreamily on his stock,
[photo 17] while in a nearby lane a presser works tirelessly with his heavy foot-iron.
[photo 18] and each carpet repairer chooses a place with strong light to work.
[photo 19] The Nile remains the great highway of the tall-mast feluccas,
[photo 20] and also the preferred source of water-supply for many families;
[photo 21] the women carry home its water in huge tins and jugs,
[photo 22] while the males of the household give the family sheep a washing.
[photo 23] As in the ancient past the barber works in the shade of the trees that fringe the river,
[photo 24] and the caravan uses the path upon its embankment.
[photo 25] Mirrored reflections - the camera and the photographer.
To the Honorable Bert Fish,
My Chief during a very busy and happy summer in Cairo,
Burton Y. Berry
September 1, 1938
Cairo, Egypt.
My Chief during a very busy and happy summer in Cairo,
Burton Y. Berry
September 1, 1938
Cairo, Egypt.
The images reflect daily life in Cairo in 1938, particularly along the Nile river and in the ancient areas of the city that constitute Historic Cairo (also known as Islamic Cairo). Historic Cairo is known for its mosques, madrasses, hammams, and other examples of medieval Islamic architecture. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
Berry's photographs document what he calls Cairo's "old customs" and emphasize Egypt's traditional trades and crafts; reliance upon manual labor; local religion and festivals; and dependence upon the Nile. He captures the daily lives of ordinary Egyptians as they work, socialize, and fulfill household duties.
Each photograph in the series is described with a handwritten caption, transcribed below:
[photo 1] Cairo is a great modern city where old customs persist.
[photo 2] Men, wearing ankle-lenght shirts, scrub floors while standing.
[photo 3] and sweep away fallen leaves in public parks with brooms made of twigs.
[photo 4] The Arabic Quarter "dresses up" for local festivals;
[photo 5] wealthy merchants decorate their stores with showy gewgaws.
[photo 6] and itinerant vendors sell sugar confections in temporary booths.
[photo 7] In the streets, even today many people pause at a mosque doorr for a short prayer;
[photo 8] urchins beg a deep drink of cool water from teh waterseller's full goatskin,
[photo 9] while workmen purchase or a millieme a glass of barley water,
[photo 10] or iced licorice-flavored water,
[photo 11] In the side streets old men sell fruit from their pushcarts,
[photo 12] young men carry foodstuffs on their heads or in their arms,
[photo 13] and everywhere cheap labor banishes expensive machines.
[photo 14] In the Bazaars every craft continues to have its own district;
[photo 15] each brass merchant patiently awaiting buyers sits in his stall,
[photo 16] the tent-maker reclines dreamily on his stock,
[photo 17] while in a nearby lane a presser works tirelessly with his heavy foot-iron.
[photo 18] and each carpet repairer chooses a place with strong light to work.
[photo 19] The Nile remains the great highway of the tall-mast feluccas,
[photo 20] and also the preferred source of water-supply for many families;
[photo 21] the women carry home its water in huge tins and jugs,
[photo 22] while the males of the household give the family sheep a washing.
[photo 23] As in the ancient past the barber works in the shade of the trees that fringe the river,
[photo 24] and the caravan uses the path upon its embankment.
[photo 25] Mirrored reflections - the camera and the photographer.
Creator
Burton Yost Berry
Date
1938-09-01
Format
image/jpg 300 dpi
Type
still image
Identifier
bfc21
Files
Collection
Citation
Burton Yost Berry, “Album with Photographs of Daily Life in Cairo,” A Floridian in Cairo: The Bert Fish Collection, accessed May 15, 2024, https://bertfish.omeka.net/items/show/27.