Some Historical Photographs of Women from the Middle EastThese photographs are for educational purposes only. Every effort has been made to credit the sources from which they came. Please contact Ellen Fleischmann at Ellen.Fleischmann@notes.udayton.edu if there are any problems regarding use.
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1. Egyptian women demonstrating against the British in nationalist
demonstrations in 1919. INP News Agency photograph. From Images
of Women, by Sarah Graham-Brown (New York: Coumbia University Press,
1988).
2. (Left) Delegation of Palestinian women visiting the British High Commission of Palestine, and presenting a list of protests from the Palestinian Arab Women's Congress, Oct. 26, 1929. Source of photo: Walid Khalidi, Before Their Diaspora, (Washington: Insitute for Palestine Studies, 1991)..
3. (Right) Palestinian women demonstrating in motorcade in Jerusalem
after the Congress in 1929, protesting against the British Mandate and
Zionist immigration. (They were prohibited from demonstrating on foot by
the High Comissioner.)
4.Women Demonstrating Against French rule in Lebanon. M Saade,
Official Photographer of the Lebanese Republic, Beirut, 12 Nov. 1943. From
Images
of Women, by Sarah Graham-Brown.(New York: Coumbia University Press,
1988).
5. & 6. Women during the Palestinian Revolt of 1936-1939 against the British. Note the difference in political styles according to class: the women on the left fought with the guerrillas. The women on the right are fundraising for weapons for the guerrillas. Photo sources: (L) Laila Jammal, Contributions by Palestinian Women to the National Struggle for Liberation (Washington: Middle East Publications, 1985). (R) W. Khalidi, Before Their Diaspora (Washington: Institute for Palestine Studies, 1991).
Were the 1940s a "freer" decade overall, (in the words of one Palestinian woman interviewed about life in the 1940s)? See below.
7. Palestinian women playing tennis in 1946 at the playground
of the Palestinian Women's Union.
Source: Israel State Archives.
8. "Umm Kulthum [one of the most beloved and well-known singers in
the Arab world]
in the more glamorous costumes of her film-making years. Published
in Radio Misriyya, June 1945." Source: Images of Women,
by Sarah
Graham-Brown.(New York: Coumbia University Press, 1988).