Khalil Raad ( ar, خليل رعد, 1854–1957) was a

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in other ...

, known as " Palestine's first

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

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 His works include over 1230 glass plates, tens of postcards, and as yet unpublished

films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

that document political events and daily life in Palestine, Syria, and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

over the course of fifty years.

Early life

Raad was born in 1869 in Bhamdoun,

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

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

ism from the

Maronite The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the largest ...

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 (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

where they resided with relatives.

Photography and personal life

Raad first studied photography under Garabed Krikorian (se
photos
, 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 across the ...

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

graduate of a photography workshop established by Issay Garabedian, the

Armenian Patriarch Armenian patriarch is a term that may be used to describe: Legendary Armenian figures * Hayk, legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation * Aram, a descendant of Hayk, from whom the name of Armenia may derive * ''History of Armenia'', an ...

of Jerusalem.Palmquist, et al., 2001, 107. Raad opened his own studio on

Jaffa Road Jaffa Road ( he, רחוב יפו, Rehov Yaffo; ar, شارع يافا) 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 Jer ...

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 may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internati ...

national who served as an assistant to Keller, a photographer who Raad studied with in Switzerland on the eve of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. 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 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 responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

ship and was elected. Raad continued his photography work, the subject matter of which included political events, daily life, and major archaeological excavations conducted in Palestine. His photography studio was destroyed during

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in J ...

attacks on the city in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

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

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies Above mean sea level, above sea level. The second-lar ...

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 Ilya, Iliya, Ilia, Ilja, or Ilija (russian: Илья́, Il'ja, , or russian: Илия́, Ilija, ; uk, Ілля́, Illia, ; be, Ілья́, Iĺja ) is the East Slavic form of the male Hebrew name Eliyahu (Eliahu), meaning "My God is Yahu/Jah." ...

, 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 Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon over the course of fifty years. He produced over 1230 glass plates which were rescued from his studio during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War by a young Italian 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 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 established in 1971. It is published by Taylor and Francis on behalf of the Institute for Palestine Studies, having previously been published by the University ...

. 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. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

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

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

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 ( ota, احمد جمال پاشا, Ahmet Cemâl Paşa; 6 May 1872 – 21 July 1922), also known as Cemal Pasha, was an Ottoman military leader and one of the Three Pashas that ruled the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Djemal w ...

, who facilitated Raad's access to the

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

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 (born Annelies; 1929–1945), German-Dutch diaris ...

, 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 in the Eastern world. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. In particular, Orientalist ...

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 i ...

postcard portrayals of the Other.Semmerling, 2004, p. 7. Academics who supported Palestinian's national struggle, such as

Bader Al Haj Bader is a German occupational surname derived from the German word "Bad" meaning "bath". It originally referred to the owners or attendants of bathhouses, who subsequently took on other tasks including cutting hair and dentistry. List of people wi ...

Walid Khalidi Walid Khalidi ( ar, وليد خالدي, born 1925 in Jerusalem) is an Oxford University-educated Palestinian historian who has written extensively on the Palestinian exodus. He is a co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies, establish ...

and Elias Sanbar saw the photographs that Khalil Raad took showing the life in the country, criticized him saying he was helping the "Zionist" propaganda.

Anneliese Moors Anneliese (, ) is a female given name of either German, Dutch or Nordic origin. It is a compound form of "Anna" and "Liese", a short form of "Elisabeth". It may refer to: *Anneliese Bauer, East German slalom canoer who competed in the late 1950 ...

, 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 Rona, RONA or Róna may refer to: Places * Rona (Kristiansand), a neighbourhood in Kristiansand, Norway *Rona (river), a river in Maramureș County, Romania *Rona, Bellevue Hill, a historic house in the Sydney suburb of Bellevue Hill * Rona, Swit ...

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 Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner ...

Supplement, September 9, 2010
Chalil Raad, Photographs 1891-1948, Gutman Art Museum, 2010 (curator, book)Photography, History, Identity
By Guy Raz
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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raad, Khalil 1854 births 1957 deaths Palestinian photographers Photography in Lebanon Photography in the State of Palestine Early photographers in Palestine Palestinologists