Musiciens de rue, from the series "Souvenir from Egypt: 25 Remarkable Types"

In the second half of the nineteenth century, “Orientalist fever” drove a large number of European photographers to establish permanent studios throughout the Ottoman Empire. Otto Schoefft ran portrait studios in Alexandria and Cairo that catered to foreign tourists visiting the ancient sites of Egypt. While many of the photos in this souvenir album appear to have been made outdoors, in reality, Schoefft manufactured elaborate picturesque settings inside his studio to create images that catered to his clientele’s desire for “authentic” (i.e. exotic) scenes from Egyptian life.