Cinq mois à Alger

Abstract

Ernest Feydeau traveled the city of Algiers and its surroundings for five months. The book that is the result of these observations, Algiers, is an important document that reflects the changes in the view of a city increasingly marked by the French presence. At Feydeau, the dreamed “Orient” quickly gave way to a painting without concession of a society on the decline. This testimony, however, is highly dependent on the views of an observer who remains constantly outside the scenes he describes and under the influence of cultural pre-constructions that shape his vision.