Khalil Raad (, 1854–1957) was a Lebanese photographer who was known as "

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

's first

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

photographer." His works include over 1230 glass plates, tens of postcards, and as yet unpublished

films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...

that document political events and daily life in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

over the course of fifty years.

Early life

Raad was born in 1869 in

Bhamdoun Bhamdoun (), is a town in Lebanon from Beirut on the main road that leads to Damascus and in the suburbs of the main tourist city of Aley, lying at an altitude of above the Lamartine valley. Geography Two separate villages compose the town, ' ...

, in modern-day

. His father, Anis, had fled from the family's village of Sibnay after converting to

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

ism from the

Maronite Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...

faith. During the 1860 sectarian strife afflicting the mountain regions, Raad's father was killed. Following his death, Raad's mother took him and his sister, Sarah, to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

where they resided with relatives.

Photography and personal life

Raad first studied photography under

Garabed Krikorian Garabed Krikorian was an Armenian photographer known for his pioneering work in photography in Jerusalem during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is regarded as one of the earliest and famous professional photographers in the region and ...

, an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

graduate of a photography workshop established by Issay Garabedian, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem.Palmquist, et al., 2001, 107. Raad opened his own studio on

Jaffa Road Jaffa Road, also called Jaffa Street (; ) is one of the longest and oldest major streets in Jerusalem. It crosses the city from east to west, from the Old City walls to downtown Jerusalem, the western portal of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem-Tel ...

across the street from that of his former teacher in Jerusalem in 1890, engaging in direct competition with him. After Garabed's son John assumed control of his father's studio in 1913 and married Raad's niece, Najla, known as the "peace bride," the two studios worked in partnership. Raad married Annie Muller in 1919, a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

national who served as an assistant to Keller, a photographer who Raad studied with in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

on the eve of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He returned to Palestine with Muller to live in Talibiyya, then a village near Jerusalem in which Raad ran for

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

ship and was elected. Raad continued his photography work, the subject matter of which included political events, daily life, and major

archaeological excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

conducted in Palestine. He became "the leading professional Palestinian photographer of his time." His photography studio was destroyed during

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

attacks on the city in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

, and the family was forced to move, going first to

Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...

for a few months and then to Raad's village of birth, Bhamdoun. Subsequently, invited to live within the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate by Bishop Ilya Karam, Raad resided there from the end of 1948 until his death in 1957.

Photographic works

Raad's photography documented political events and daily life in Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria over the course of fifty years. He produced over 1230 glass plates which were rescued from his studio during the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the First Arab–Israeli War, followed the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war in Mandatory Palestine as the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. The civil war becam ...

by a young

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

friend who crossed no-man's land several times at night. Also in his studio archive were a number of negatives, some of which have yet to be printed. The entire archive was donated to the

Institute of Palestine Studies An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

and many of the photographs were published in the work,
Before their Diaspora
' by the

Journal of Palestine Studies The ''Journal of Palestine Studies'' (JPS) is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal which has been published since 1971. It is published by Taylor and Francis on behalf of the Institute for Palestine Studies. History and profile The journal ...

. Raad's archival materials were described as among "the most precious collections in the IPS archives" alongside those of Wasif Jawhariyyah.Khalidi, Walid. ''Before Their Diaspora : A Photographic History of the Palestinians, 1876-1948''. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies, 1991, 17–19. A collection of

postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. In some places, one can send a postcard f ...

s that bear Raad's signature are held by the Middle East Centre of

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

together with 40 prints of Ottoman soldiers in Palestine from World War I. Captioned in English, these photographs "had clearly been intended for use as propaganda by the Ottoman forces," according to Badr al-Hajj. Ruth Raad, Khalil's daughter, said that her father was a friend of the military governor of Syria under Ottoman rule,

Jamal Pasha Ahmed Djemal (; ; 6 May 1872 – 21 July 1922), also known as Djemal Pasha or Cemâl Pasha, was an Ottoman military leader and one of the Three Pashas that ruled the Ottoman Empire during World War I. As an officer of the II Corps, he was ...

, who facilitated Raad's access to the

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

ian-Palestinian front.

Criticism

Raad also produced postcards for tourists. Modern scholars, such as

Annelies Moors Annelies may refer to: * ''Annelies'' (novel), a 2019 alternative history novel by David R. Gillham * ''Annelies'' (Whitbourn), a 2005 choral work based on ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' * Anne Frank Annelies Marie Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – ...

, have critiqued his presentation of Palestinian Arabs in this body of work, noting that he "often used biblical connotations that conscribed their lives as static," thus conforming to the

Orientalism In art history, literature, and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects of the Eastern world (or "Orient") by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. Orientalist painting, particularly of the Middle ...

characterizing

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

postcard portrayals of the

Other Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), ...

.Semmerling, 2004, p. 7. Academics who supported the Palestinian's national struggle, such as Bader Al Haj,

Walid Khalidi Walid Khalidi (; born in Jerusalem on July 16, 1925) is a Palestinian historian who has written extensively on the Palestinian exodus. He is a co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies, established in Beirut in December 1963 as an inde ...

and

Elias Sanbar Elias Wadih Sanbar () (born 1947) is a Palestinian historian, poet, essayist, translator and diplomat. Since 2012, he has been the Palestinian ambassador to UNESCO. During the late 1960s, Sanbar was a member of the French branch of the General U ...

saw the photographs that Khalil Raad took showing the life in the country, criticized him saying he was helping the "Zionist" propaganda. Anneliese Moors, a Dutch researcher, said in response to the academics who supported Palestinian's national struggle believes that some of the photographs of Raad had connotations from the Bible or the New Testament which gave it legitimacy to the photographic characters and their lives. But, both her and Rona Sela an Israeli curator, emphasize that Raad first photographed for commercial and tourist purposes. To explain her opinion, Rona Sela says that Raad "lacked political awareness" and adapted to the patterns that appeared as stereotypical "colonial", which came as a direct effect from the scriptures of the Christians and Jews. Apart from a few political rallies, the photographer did not specify the conflict between Arabs and Jews in his work which occurred during his years that he was an active photographer.

References

Bibliography

* *
Hey, there were people here! Museum presents a candid view of early Palestine.
By BRETT KLINE Jerusalem Post Magazine, July 9, 2010
Perspective is everything

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...

Supplement, September 9, 2010
Chalil Raad, Photographs 1891-1948, Gutman Art Museum, 2010 (curator, book)Photography, History, Identity
By

Guy Raz Guy Raz (; born November 9, 1975) is an American journalist and podcaster. He formerly hosted NPR's '' Weekend All Things Considered'' and the '' TED Radio Hour''. Early life and education Raz was born in West Covina, California. He graduated ...

Institute for Palestine Studies
Khalil Raad
This week in Palestine
Khalil Raad
Rona Sela
Chalil Raad * Badr al-Hajj
Khalil Raad - Jerusalem Photographer
Institute for Palestine Studies * Salim Tamari
The War Photography of Khalil Raad: Ottoman Modernity and the Biblical Gaze
Institute for Palestine Studies
Chalil Raad images at Getty

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raad, Khalil 1854 births 1957 deaths 20th-century Palestinian photographers Photography in Lebanon Photography in Palestine Photographers in Palestine (region) Palestinologists 19th-century photographers from the Ottoman Empire 20th-century Palestinian male artists 20th-century Lebanese people 20th-century photographers from the Ottoman Empire