Carte de visite Private collection of Michel Mégnin In the book by Ken Jacobson Odalisques & Arabesques: Orientalist Photography 1839-1925 (Quaritch, 2007) the date of this photograph is given as 1871 referring to the Cremieux French decrets. Actually this photograph refers to the 1865 law that gave Muslims the right to become French if they rejected Koranic law - very few of them did. On the white papers, which are French Citizenship Certificates, has been written Vive les noirs ! A bas les blancs !. However these black boys do not seem very revendicative…
