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The Way We Were: The Photographic Legacy of Albert Kahn

What was the world like a hundred years ago? How did people from different parts of the globe dress and go about their daily lives? What has changed and what has stayed the same through the sea changes that have shaped human lives over a century? Photographic records can provide an intimate glimpse into bygone times, but to document an entire world being transformed is a massive project few have the means or stamina to undertake. Except for one individual: the French-Jewish banker and philanthropist, Albert Kahn.

French-Jewish banker, Albert Kahn (1869-1942), circa 1930s. Credit: Albert Kahn Foundation.

Between 1909 and 1931, Kahn dispatched a small army of photographers to parts of France and the far corners of the globe, with the goal of documenting as many cultures as possible, some on the verge of disappearing and others on the brink of war. By the time the project came to a halt due to the Wall Street crash of 1929, which cost Kahn his fortune, he has amassed 72,000 color photographs as well as 183,000 meters of film. A BBC documentary, “The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn” (available on YouTube) gives an insightful glimpse into Kahn’s legacy to humanity, a massive undertaking which he proudly called “Archives of the Planet.”

Actor in a Noh theatre, Kyoto, 1912.
Panorama of the city looking northwest from the terrace of the Miyako Hotel, Kyoto, 1926.
A young woman in Hanoi, Vietnam splitting betel leaf during the first phase of making a betel quid.

Algeria Dancers and musicians from the Ouled Naïl tribe. Photo taken between 1909 and 1911.

Soldiers in a front line trench at Le Hamel, Somme, Picardy, France, 1915.

A group of soldiers at an output, Le Hamel, Somme, Picardy, France, 1915.
A flower seller opposite 53 rue Cambon, Paris, France, 1918.
A young carpet weaver in front of her loom, Algeria, between 1909 and 1911.
Dahomey Yoruba tam-tam players and royal drums, Sakete, Benin, Africa, 1930.
West facade of the sanctuary of Bel, Palmyra, Syria, 1921.
The Sphinx and the Pyramid of Cheops, Giza, Egypt, 1914.

Watch: Place de la Concorde, July 25 1921 (35 mm nitrate film)

BBC Documentary: ‘The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn’

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