This paper examines the intertwined nature between art and politics in pre-colonial Morocco through an examination of the relationship between Sultan Abd al-Aziz and French cinematographer Gabriel Veyre and the production of photographs in the sultan’s court in the early 20th century. When the Abd al-Aziz hired Veyre in 1901, France did not have an official presence in the court. For the French government, photography represented a tool of diplomacy and a means to control the international perception of Morocco. For Abd al-Aziz, photography became a tool of political power and control, one that could be used to demonstrate political authority through the documentation of political and religious ceremonies and portraiture reinforcing his status as ruler. Through his interactions with Veyre and his use of photography, the sultan merged European technology with Moroccan traditions. In contrast to French portrayals of pre-colonial Morocco as chaotic and poorly governed, I argue that the sultan’s appropriation of European technology and visual culture demonstrates the extent to which Abd al-Aziz attempted to chart his own course through political crises of the early twentieth century. Although Moroccans criticized Abd al-Aziz’s photographs, and Europeans denigrated the art as evidence of his inability to rule and his un-Islamic practices, Abd al-Aziz was instrumental in introducing photography to Morocco. Photography studios emerged in Morocco shortly thereafter and continued to shape debates over conquest, rule, and modernization in for Europeans and Moroccans alike.