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“The American Colony Photographers seem to have combined in a unique way what appear at first glance to be two disparate elements: an “outsider” (i.e., Western) perspective on the one hand, coupled with “local “sensibilities, centered in an intimate knowledge of the Land and its peoples. The “Western” ingredients which they brought to the mix included the so-called Protestant work ethic, a modern marketing sense, and a healthy curiosity about the landscapes and people on which they trained their cameras, subjects which they no doubt perceived, at least at first, as quite exotic. And the “local” aspect of their identity was a function not only of their long-term presence, active as they were (including Matson’s later work) for almost half a century, but their mastery of native languages (especially Arabic), and, to no small extent, the way in which their larger community, the American Colony, came to weave itself into the fabric of authentic Jerusalem and Palestinian life.”

Tom Powers
Jerusalem’s American Colony and Its Photographic Legacy, 2009