AN ARAB SHOD WITH FIRE taken by National Geographic Magazine (1917)


This image titled “AN ARAB SHOD WITH FIRE” was found on the Ouled Naïl Wikipedia page and it was first printed in a 1917 edition of National Geographic magazine. The National Geographic magazine is run by the National Geographic Society, a not for profit organization that aims to educate the public about science, history, culture and geography. The magazine includes images, photographs, and maps and a new issue is put out each month. The image itself features an Ouled Naïl dancer leaning against a rock, and you can hover over the image to view two aspects of the image that I have annotated. The dancer wears a neutral expression on her face and her eyes aren’t properly looking at the camera, rather they seem to be looking beyond the camera. She’s wearing a green and blue colored gown that covers her whole body and her head is covered by a pink headdress. Her body position against the rock gives the effect of a staged photo. The author of the image is unknown, however; a caption is provided under the image that reads “She is a dancer of Algeria and the slow, throbbing music of the Orient is just as necessary for her happiness as the jewels and coins with which she adorns herself.” The term “Orient” in the caption gives an indication of the lens the photographer used when they took the photo, a lens focused on exotifying the dancer. “Orient” is a term used by the Western world to define itself as everything the rest of the world is not. The  word has an inherent association with being lesser in value, so much so, that that word is used as a generic term for most of the world. The “Orient” is always seen as the “other”, a bit more mystical and a bit more exotic. The connection of monetary wealth to happiness in the caption further serves to overshadow the intricacies of the movement and the intergenerational traditions of the Ouled Naïl.

This picture will be used not only to characterize the appearance of Ouled Naïl, but also to describe the more indirect colonial methods of disempowering female dancers. This image does not have the obvious sexual undertone that the images in Alloula’s text possess, however; the effect of both images is the same: exotifying the dancer. This image shows how Oriental undertones were packed in the more unsuspecting images using titles and captions. Furthermore, the use of this image in a magazine focused on science and culture depicts how deeply the Oriental narrative pervaded society and culture at the time. 

Citation: “AN ARAB SHOD WITH FIRE.” Wikipedia, 6 June 2005, upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Dancer_of_Algeria_NGM-v31-p266.jpg.
Link: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Dancer_of_Algeria_NGM-v31-p266.jpg


Devadasis 1920's uploaded by Bhadani (2006)

This image titled “Devadasi 1920’s” was found on the Devadasi Wikipedia page and it was taken in Chennai, India. The actual photographer and source for the photo are unknown, however; the image was uploaded on the page by a user named Bhadani. Bhadani was known as the most famous Indian Wikipedia contributor and he was named as one of the top ten contributors on the platform for several months. Bhadani began editing in 2005 and then became an administrator on the page later that year. The photo itself features two Devadasi women sitting on a bench. Both women have one arm on a surface and one hand on their thigh. They are wearing sarees and lots of jewelry. The jewelry was often gifted to the Devadasis from the wealthy individuals that traveled far and wide to watch these dancers perform (Soneji, 245). Both women have an impassive expression on their face and seem to be looking at the camera. The perfect positioning of both women, as well as the architecture in the background gives the impression of a staged photograph. The caption under the image reads “A photograph of two Devadasis taken in 1920s Chennai in India.” This caption reads in a quite neutral manner and gives no obvious indication of an “oriental agenda” being pushed to the viewers of the photo. However, without the full context of the photo; it can’t be certain as to what agenda the photo or the medium is trying to convey.

This photo will be used to characterize the appearance of the Devadasis and serve as a visual for some of the practices between the viewers and the dancers themselves. Furthermore, it will be interesting to compare the look of the dancers featured in this image versus the dancers in the Lakme video. In the video, the central dancer is wearing different clothing from the background dancers who are wearing clothing like the 2 women in this image. Using this image in conjunction with the video reveals that revival not only sought to purify dancers, but that it also served as an Orientalist project of exotifying the dancer in the public sphere.

Citation: Bhadani, Gangadhar. “Devadasi 1920s.” Wikipedia, 2 May 2006, upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Devadasi_1920s.JPG 
Link: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Devadasi_1920s.JPG

Copyright Statement: Both images were found on Wikipedia, however; they exist on the public domain.