Lehnert Rudolf & Landrock Ernest Paintings

Rudolf Lehnert and Ernst Landrock were a pair of photographers and business partners who are best known for their orientalist photography portraying scenes from North Africa. Rudolf Franz Lehnert was born on July 13, 1878, in Gross Aupa, now part of the Czech Republic, and Ernst Heinrich Landrock was born on August 7, 1878, in Reinsdorf, Germany.

Lehnert originally studied painting before becoming interested in photography. He first visited Tunisia in 1904 and was captivated by the landscape and culture of North Africa. Landrock, on the other hand, was a bookseller by trade. The two met in Switzerland and decided to go into business together, combining Lehnert's photographic talent and Landrock's business acumen.

They initially set up a studio in Tunis in 1904, producing postcards and photographic prints that reflected an exotic and, to Western eyes, a highly romanticized view of the Arab world. Their work was characterized by a combination of technical skill, artistic composition, and a sense of romantic allure. They captured a wide range of subjects, including landscapes, urban scenes, and portraits of local inhabitants, often emphasizing the timeless and unchanging aspects of regional life.

The outbreak of World War I resulted in Lehnert being interned as an enemy alien, but he returned to North Africa after the war and reunited with Landrock. In 1924, they moved their business to Cairo, Egypt, where they established the Lehnert & Landrock bookshop, which became a famous landmark. It served not only as a place to sell their photographic works but also as a meeting point for both locals and expatriates.

Lehnert's role was primarily as the photographer, while Landrock managed the business and sales of their images. Their collaboration lasted until Lehnert's retirement in 1938. After that, Landrock continued to operate the business with his stepson, Edouard Lambelet. Lehnert passed away on January 16, 1948, in Garbsen, Germany, while Landrock lived until April 30, 1966, and passed away in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland.

Their legacy lives on through the Lehnert & Landrock bookshop, which continued to operate in Cairo under different ownership, and through their photographs, which remain celebrated for their aesthetic quality and historical value. They provide an important visual record of the time and place they depict, and their work has been the subject of various exhibitions and retrospectives.