Photography and the Imperial Propaganda:

Egypt under Gaze

Abstract

The mid-Victorian era and the Edwardian period witnessed important advances in
graphic arts leading to the invention of photography. The eastward imperial expansion
of Britain during this period resulted in the emergence of different representations of
the Orient. After the role played by paintings in conveying a rather fantasist and
imaginative vision based on an orientalist background, photography, in its capacity to
reproduce reality, promised a more accurate image. Thus, the aim of this paper is to
show that the earliest photographs of the Orient and mainly of Egypt unveiled the role
of photography in creating a new orientalist vision tinged with the imperialist
ambitions of Britain. It focuses on the use of photography in the press and how it was
propelled in the political field to confirm its commitment in a propagandist strategy to
gain the support of public opinion. This paper offers a critical review of photography
within a specific colonial context and determines the strong links between technological
development and the sustainability of the imperialism demanded by the rush to acquire
new colonies in the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. The study of the images
published in the Illustrated London News in relation to the situation in Egypt
unveils the manipulation of the image to reinforce the imperial system. One of the
conclusions is related to the different strategies used to give the image a propagandist
role, notably to enhance colonial policies.