so I recently stumbled across this photo of Hasidic Jews in Palestine from the 19th century. I researched for the origin of the photo since I liked their outfits and it was one of the few times where the jews portrayed didn't look utterly inbred. This is what I found out:
>Sitters in photograph are probably actors dressed as Ashkenazi Jews and not Jewish. The photograph was taken in the courtyard of the Mediterranean Hotel in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem.
made me chuckle quite a bit.