pb_lc_bcr_c18980000-0004aa.tiff (22.47 MB)
Camels laden with olive wood, c.1898-1914
figure
posted on 2019-05-31, 08:02 authored by Freja Howat-Maxted, Leila Sansour, Jacob NorrisJacob NorrisThis is a digital reproduction of a black and white photographic print held in the Library of Congress.
The
image is a photograph of camels transporting olive tree branches for
use in the carving of devotional objects and Holy Land souvenirs. Bethlehem has been known for its olive wood carving for
centuries. Along with mother-of-pearl, olive wood devotional objects formed the
basis for the emigration explosion out of the town in the 19th and early 20th
centuries when Bethlehem merchants began to sell the goods around the world.
This image exists as part of the Bethlehem Crafts collection in the Planet Bethlehem Archive.