I got this photograph of two member of the French Foreign Legion some years ago.
What intrigued me was the somewhat unusual setting, both men in parade uniforms though still having a wireless communication set with them.
The way the man on the right is looking seems to me he is not very pleased with the fact the photograph is taken. Other options could be he is tense or it is just the way he always looked when posing for a picture.
Let’s see what we can find out about this photo.
The photo depicts two member of the French Foreign Legion standing on a city street. The one on the left wears the white kepi and identifies him as a legionnaire.
The other on the right is an adjudant, identifiable by his dark kepi with a small (gold )rank rim, his shoulder rank insignia, and the fact he is wearing the Medaille Militaire.
Clearly visible is also the badge of the 1 REI.
Civilians, including a young girl, pass by in the background.
The architectural style, broad sidewalks, shaded arcades, and the posters featuring the Cross of Lorraine suggest a French colonial urban area, like Algiers, Oran or even Sidi Bel Abbès.
The clothing and atmosphere point to the late 1950’s.
In the background are men in traditional arabic clothing.
My first guess was that they were standing in front of a cinema, based on the larger poster on the wall but it could also be something like a department store.
Closer look at the signs in the front reveals these are advertisements for a lottery.
All in all, as in similar cases, despite some good clues it is complex to precisely identify location and context of the photograph.