Portraits beyond the edge

Photographer Marc Garanger took these photos in Algeria during the War of Independence (1954-62). He happened to work there as a personal photographer of one of the French military leaders.

One day, a 25-year-old conscript received a task: to take a photo of all the residents in the camp under military control. In 10 days he made about two thousand portraits. They were mostly women. Women whose faces and hair were only allowed to be seen by their family members. Violating all possible local laws and traditions, they were ordered to be photographed with an open face. It became a difficult test for them and for the photographer himself.