A nice hand-colored 1930s image of Algeria's second largest city. The sense of design shown here, especially in the vertical, vaguely modernist handling of the name of the city, is decidedly elegant. Oran--a coveted trading port on the Mediter-ranean --has, at different times, been ruled over by Moorish, Spanish, Ottoman, and French occupiers. Thanks to Wikipedia, I find I can connect this post to previous post on Nelson, with yet another chauvinist paean to the Royal Navy. "In July 1940, the British navy shelled French warships in the port after they refused a British ultimatum to surrender which was designed to ensure the fleet would not fall into German hands. The action increased the hatred of the Vichy regime for Britain but convinced the world the British would fight on alone against Nazi Germany and its allies."
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