Tancrede Dumas (1830-1905)

 

I've often seen, and noticed, this photo of a remarkable couple of close friends from The Middle East: A blind man carries a paralyzed man on his back, thus making a workable unity. By helping each other as best they can, both of them are able to move along, one being the eyes of both, and the other one the feet. One of the interesting things about this solution to the difficult lives of disabled men in the Middle East is that one of them is a Christian and the other one is a Muslim, but still they are able to work together. The photo is tagged "Tancrede Dumas", and somehow I got the impression that that was the name of one of these men, but it's actually the name of the photographer who took the photo.

Tancrede Dumas (1830-1905)

His parents were fervent supporters of Napoleon, who had to leave their native France to seek refuge in Italy. That's why Tancrede Dumas most often is called an Italian. He was some kind of adventurer, who tried his luck in several different professions. For instance, he was also a banker, but at the same time he offered pianos to buy or hire. His job as a photographer must have started some time in the middle of the 1860ies when he founded a studio in Constantinople with some others. However, in 1866 he started his own studio in Beirut, actually in the consulate quarter. That, I suppose, must have been valuable to him as it must have given him good opportunities with the so-called "elite". For instance, he accompanied The Archduke of Mecklenburg on his journey to the Orient, thus attaining the right to introduce himself as "Photographer To The Imperial And Royal Court of Prussia".  

The journey with The Archduke must have been of value to Tancrede in several ways. For instance, he also had the opportunity to follow The American Palestine Exploration in 1875 as the assigned photographer. His published collections of photographs from this kind of expeditions must be of high value to e.g. historians, as they tell about life as it was lived in the Orient at that time. As a photographer Tancrede was a witness to a world of yesterday. This, for instance, is a photo of snake charmers:

It seems that it's well-known that his work included several more albums or portfolios which have not been found yet. However, when he died in 1905 his legacy was - and is - impressive.

 

^{https://www.gettyimages.no/photos/tancrede} 

 

^{https://luminous-lint.com/phoenix.php/photographers/single/Tancrede__Dumas/biography/} 

 

^Wikipedia