( CNN ) -- A woman in outrageous flared trousers kisses the cheek of a young girl . A snake slithers around another woman wearing a two-piece bathing suit . And elsewhere , a camel crosses ponderously in front of a gleaming Rolls Royce . To Western eyes more used to the region portrayed through images of religion , conflict or conservative societies , it may come as a surprise to learn these photographs represent a snapshot of life in the Middle East . But these and 300,000 more gathered in an archive in Beirut tell a different story : One of a long-forgotten belle epoque of glamour and innocence . This sprawling photographic collection is the work of the Arab Image Foundation , a non-profit organization dedicated safeguarding a local perspective often overshadowed by the works of Western photographers . `` We were interested in showing the Arab world as we know it ; as we see it in our photographic album , '' foundation director Zeina Arida told CNN . This lovingly-curated collection boasts many gems , not least the noir-ish work of Van Leo , an Armenian-Egyptian portrait photographer who attracted the rich and famous to his Cairo studio . Active during the 1940s and 50s , Van Leo also pursued his own artistic vision , posing for fantasy self-portraits , re-imagining himself as a heroic pilot , prisoner -- or even a chiffon-robed young woman . Says Arida , Van Leo , whose work predates similar projects by celebrated American photographer Cindy Sherman by almost 40 years , is among several `` enthusiastic '' supporters of the 13-year-old foundation . But , with most of its funding coming from Europe and the United States , she says more Middle Eastern donors , who tend to back charitable rather than cultural organizations , need to step up to help preserve their own past . The foundation 's new research center in Beirut , where white-gloved curators carefully handle the slides , plates , prints and negatives that make up the collection , should help , she says . It is hoped the research will offer new insight , not only into a golden era for the region , but also into the techniques of those who strove to capture it . Adds Arida : `` We do have important historical documents , but the main interest in these images were what the images can tell us about the relationship between the photographer and his clients . '' CNN 's Rima Maktabi contributed to this story .
Arab Image Foundation has collected more than 300,000 photographs . The images are being used to create a new online exhibition called “Faces of the Arabs.” Foundation funded mainly from U.S. and Europe but is seeking regional backers .