Shop Portraits
of Cairo

Throughout Cairo, I noticed that portraits are prominently displayed in many local shops, greeting passersby and welcoming those who step inside.

When I asked the current owners about these images, they explained that the portraits usually depict a deceased previous owner, often a family member, kept on display in their memory. Some owners, however, choose to hang their own portrait, or as in the case of the only female shop-owner I met the portraits of their children and grandchildren.

In sharing these portraits, the shop owners also shared stories: anecdotes about the former owners, and occasionally, about famous customers. Through these conversations, I became acquainted with, for example, the former president Mubarak’s preferred fruit vendor, and Saddam Hussein’s hairdresser.

Although the reasons for displaying these portraits were often similar, no one could explain the origin of this tradition.