a palanquin in Kabylie, late 19th century, Algeria

"The Bassour - or Palanquin - is a kind of cage made of intertwined palm stems covered with fabrics trimmed with hundreds of multicolored wool pompoms, the whole attached to the back of a camel. Wealthy Arabs traveling in it carried riches, food, cooking utensils, as well as children and wives."
This description and engraving are the work of late 19th-century travelers, linked to colonial interests, who wanted to showcase this part of the French Empire.