Diplomatic History – Tangier American Legation Museum

Diplomatic History, Legation Tales, Museum, TALIM, Tangier, Uncategorized

MAPPING MEMORIES, CREATING HISTORY: THE TANGIER AMERICAN LEGATION, by Emily Albrecht

October 29, 2021October 29, 2021 by Abdelbaar Mounadi Idrissi

Abstract: The Tangier American Legation hosted the U.S. Legation and Consulate for 140 years, and was the formal conduit for diplomatic and consular relations between the United States and Morocco. After the diplomatic move to Rabat after Morocco’s independence in 1956, the building operated as a Foreign Service Institute and, later, as a Peace Corps … Read more MAPPING MEMORIES, CREATING HISTORY: THE TANGIER AMERICAN LEGATION, by Emily Albrecht

Diplomatic History, Legation Tales, Morocco, Museum, Tangier

RIP Ana Gabriela Da Silva Araujo Bonnet (1930-2020)

August 3, 2021November 13, 2020 by John Davison

Rest in Peace, Ana Gabriela Da Silva Araujo Bonnet, who passed away peacefully last week in Tangier. Ana Gabriela was a fifth generation “Tangerina” — her great-great grandfather Felix A Matthews served as the US Consul in Tangier in the 19th century. This lovely photograph by Tessa Codrington of Ana Gabriela in front of a … Read more RIP Ana Gabriela Da Silva Araujo Bonnet (1930-2020)

AIMS, American Studies, Cultural Diplomacy, Diplomatic History, Historic Landmark, Historic Preservation, Morocco, Tangier, Uncategorized

Diplomatic note on the “Lamentable News of Death by Assassination of Abraham Lincoln”

October 28, 2020June 18, 2020 by John Davison

On the Eve of Juneteenth, we share with you a copy of the 1865 diplomatic note that hangs in the Legation’s Museum (a gift of the Forbes family): Consulate General of the United States of America, Tangier28 April, 1865. Gentlemen: — The lamentable news of the death by assassination of Abraham Lincoln, President of the … Read more Diplomatic note on the “Lamentable News of Death by Assassination of Abraham Lincoln”

Diplomatic History, Historic Landmark, Historic Preservation, Legation Tales, Morocco, Museum, Uncategorized

My Search for the First American Consulate and the Original Mount Washington

May 29, 2020February 27, 2020 1 Comment by John Davison

By Lawrence Peskin, AIMS Fellow/Morgan State University Most discussions of the U.S. presence in Tangier do not really go back before 1821. This is readily understandable. Everyone wants to know about the interzone years and the fascinating flock of “accidentals” (Elena Prentice’s term) who arrived here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Additionally, … Read more My Search for the First American Consulate and the Original Mount Washington

Diplomatic History, Events, Historic Preservation, TALIM

Photographs: Tangier Then and Now

November 7, 2016 1 Comment by Michael Toler

Europeans and Moroccans in front of Bab Dar Dbagh, ca. 1920

An exhibition in Rotch Library at MIT in Cambridge MA, features prints made from the glass negatives collection of the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM) in Morocco. The photographs, which have never been exhibited in the United States, date from roughly 1900 to 1930, a period that saw the city of Tangier undergoing a growth that has been unrivaled until recent decades. Not only is Tangier now seeing a radical transformation due to new construction and infrastructure improvements, but there is also a growing emphasis on historic preservation of the built environment. The exhibition highlights that by juxtaposing the older black and white images against more recent photographs of the places depicted.

Cultural Diplomacy, Diplomatic History

US – Morocco Relations

December 16, 2015December 16, 2015 Leave a comment by Michael Toler

The first nation to publicly recognize U.S. independence following the Revolutionary War was Morocco. Muhammad III, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams signed the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship in 1786; congress approved it the next year.

This treaty, which was proposed by the Moroccan sultan while the U.S. was still at war with Britain, also pertained to trade. As a result, not only did it establish alliance between the nations, and not only did it aid recognition of U.S. independence by other countries, but the treaty also helped development of commerce for a very young United States, too.

Discussion of English Colonial Texts on Tangier, Nov 7

November 1, 2015 Leave a comment by Michael Toler

On November 7, 7:00 pm, TALIM will host a discussion with Professor Karim Bejjit of Hassan II University in Casablanca, of his 2015 book, English Colonial Texts on Tangier, 1661-1684. Dr. Bejjit will discuss this collection of 18 Restoration pamphlets written about England’s venture in ruling Tangier in the 17th century. Click the button below … Read more Discussion of English Colonial Texts on Tangier, Nov 7

Diplomatic History, Historic Landmark, Historic Preservation, Legation Tales, Museum, OBO, TALIM, Tangier, Uncategorized

Architectural History of the Legation Now Available on Archnet

February 18, 2015 Leave a comment by Michael Toler

Section II, “Architectural and Historical Context and Significance” of the of the Historic Structure Report on the American Legation in Tangier, Morocco is now available on Archnet. You can find it by going to the the page for TALIM and selecting the link above the description labeled “Publication.”

This section of the report explains the historical and architectural significance of the structure, beginning with a general diplomatic history of Tangier. It then provides a functional and architectural history of the Legation building, including the modifications to the building, starting when the United States and Morocco first began negotiations, through the acquisition of Legation in 1821, damage to the property during bombardments of Tangier, expansions by the consul in the 1920s, the role of the Legation during World War II, and finally the conversion into a museum in 1975-1976. Finally it ends with an assessment of the current condition of the property. It is illustrated with historic images and plans.

Cultural Diplomacy, Diplomatic History, Historic Preservation, Legation Tales, Museum, TALIM

Can’t Stop Curating

November 2, 2014June 26, 2014 2 Comments by Michael Toler

New “name cloud” exhibit listing literary & artistic friends of Paul Bowles who were drawn to Tangier

Can’t stop curating?

Well, I do have to stop – we’re getting on the ferry to Spain Friday morning! Friends have joked that I’ll still be at it tomorrow morning, mounting yet more exhibits while my wife waits in the car. Not true; I stopped this afternoon.

At the French Consulate’s 14 Juillet reception after we arrived in 2010, a Moroccan friend introduced me as the “nouveau conservateur” in what people in Tangier only knew then as the “Musée de l’Ancienne Légation Américaine.” I joked that I was no conservative… I was a Democrat!

But the point is that conservateur or curator was the way people thought of this position in this city. I thought that was a bit limiting – how about our research library? Our seminars? The Arabic literacy program? Etc. I also didn’t like that ancienne thing – made it sound like we were closed.

A Virtual Tour for Ambassador Peck

December 9, 2014June 23, 2014 Leave a comment by Michael Toler

This is a “guest post” by Ambassador Edward Peck, who returned to Tangier on May 1 on board a cruise ship, and had been hoping to show Mrs. Peck the place where he and several other future US ambassadors had studied Arabic over fifty years ago.

He found our doors closed. Disappointment all around – we were so looking forward, as the Pecks were, to a trip down memory lane. Since the visit unfortunately didn’t happen, here’s a virtual tour of the Legation in photos (featuring some Legation exhibits that have just been opened), along with Ambassador Peck’s narrative of his return to Tangier.

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One of the first six students who attended FSI’s Arabic Language School in the old Legation building when it opened in 1961, I was both pleasantly surprised and extremely impressed by the view of Tangier from the sea as our ship arrived on May Day 2014.