A Female Fantasia In Morocco

French painter Eugène Delacroix made 100 paintings based on a series featuring men on horseback firing rifles during what he referred to as Fantasia. 180 years later, Zara Samiry encountered a similar scene in Morocco, But there was one significant difference: The riders were women.

- James Estrin

The French Romantic painter Eugène Delacroix traveled to North Africa, shortly after his country conquered Algeria in 1830, to experience what he viewed as a more primitive society. He made more than 100 paintings based on an Orientalist view of exotic people wearing colorful costumes, including a series featuring men on horseback firing rifles during what he referred to as military exercises, or Fantasia.

More than 180 years later, Zara Samiry encountered a similar scene in Morocco, with a dozen figures in traditional clothing holding rifles high as they straddled beautifully outfitted horses. As they galloped off in unison toward a group of tents, Ms. Samiry started to photograph. In many ways, the riders approaching in a straight line looked like the exotic figures in the Delacroix paintings.

But there was one significant difference: The riders were women.