Colonialism’s Digital Footprints: From Algiers to Palmyra: Among the Special Collections at the Getty Research Institute (GRI), photographs hold a distinctive position, numbering well over 1,000,000 items onsite; they constitute one of the largest and most diverse holdings of rare photographs in the world. The GRI’s collections chart the development of photography and the worldwide diffusion of the medium. Global in scope with extensive representation from North Africa and the Middle East, these collections offer deep insight into the history and complexity 2 of colonialism. On one level, such collections—most of which date from the 19th century— allow scholars and students to experience firsthand how the camera visually reinforced racist stereotypes and the aspirations and objectives of colonial conquest, even when those images were produced by indigenous photographers. On another level, these same collections help scholars deconstruct the imperial discourse and understand how history has both informed today’s international politics and influenced societal norms. Illustrating the Getty Research Institute’s digital resources, this talk will highlight a variety of online resources, including studio portraits made in 19th-century Algiers, which capture this city’s collective ethnic identity, or the earliest photographs taken in Palmyra, which are featured and contextualized in the online exhibition, The Legacy of Ancient Palmyra: http://www.getty.edu/research/exhibitions_events/exhibitions/palmyra/