See Francis Frith's pioneering photos of the Middle East of the 19th century.
The Great Pyramid and the Great Sphinx of Giza, Egypt, 1858.Wikimedia Commons/Francis Frith Grand Abu Simbel Temple, Nubia, southern Egypt, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith The pyramids of Sakkara, Egypt, 1858.Wikimedia Commons/Francis Frith The Ramesseum temple at Thebes, Egypt, circa 1858-1859.New York Public Library/Francis Frith Luxor, Egypt, 1862.New York Public Library/Francis Frith Colossi and Sphynx at Wady Saboua, Nubia, southern Egypt, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith The pyramids of Dahshoor, Egypt, 1857.Wikimedia Commons/Francis Frith Pillars to the god Osiris and a "great fallen colossus" at the Ramesseum temple at Thebes, Egypt, 1862.New York Public Library/Francis Frith The brick pyramid of Dahshoor, Egypt, circa 1862-1863.New York Public Library/Francis Frith Nazareth, circa 1862-1863.New York Public Library/Francis Frith The pyramids of Giza, Egypt, circa 1862-1863.New York Public Library/Francis Frith "Cleopatra's Needle," Egyptian obelisk, Alexandria, Egypt, 1870.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith The Great Pyramid and the Great Sphinx, 1858.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Colossi of Memnon, depicting Pharaoh Amenhotep III, Theban Necropolis, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Girga, Sohag Governorate, upper Egypt, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Damascus, Syria, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Aswan, Egypt, circa 1858-1859.New York Public Library/Francis Frith Valley of the Kings, Thebes, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Banks of the Nile, Cairo, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Lebanon cedars, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith The Ayyubid Mosque of Omar, Jerusalem, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Pyramid at Dahshur, Egypt, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Location unspecified (labeled "The Approach to Phil"), 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Area believed to be the biblical city of Bethel, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Cedrus libani, a.k.a. the Cedar of Lebanon, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Mount Hermon, border of Syria and Lebanon, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Largest of the cedars, Mount Lebanon, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith View of Mount Moriah from the Well of En Rogel, Jerusalem, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Nablus, Northern West Bank, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Spring of Banias, near Mount Hermon, 1857. Source of Banias River, principal tributary of the Jordan River.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Temple of Wady Kardassy, Nubia region, northern Sudan/southern Egypt, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Wâdy Mukhateb, or the "Written Valley," Sinai, 1857. The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith Ramesseum, memorial temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II, Thebes, 1857.The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Francis Frith
33 Rare Photos By Francis Frith Of Egypt From The Mid-1800s View GalleryBritish grocer-turned-photographer Francis Frith took up photography in the early 1850s, unaware that he would start developing his negatives in tombs, temples, and caves within a decade.
In 1856, Francis Frith traveled to Egypt to photograph ancient monuments using a mobile wicker darkroom in the darkest spots he could find. This allowed him to achieve his striking photographic results in a land of overwhelming light and heat. This so-called collodion process had to be completed within 15 minutes as well, which added a layer of drama to the proceedings.
Francis Frith's resulting photographs received such wide acclaim that he returned to Palestine, Syria, and Egypt twice before 1860, traveling farther up the Nile than any shutterbug before him. His pioneer spirit in this regard was a valuable commodity in the mid-19th century West, when photographic "proof" of the Holy Land was in high demand.
Whether it was the Holy Land or elsewhere, Frith believed that photographs could capture the essence of a space unlike any other medium. Photographs, Frith said, could achieve "far beyond anything that is in the power of the most accomplished artist to transfer to his canvas."
Frith's success as a commercial photographer enabled him to establish F. Frith & Co., which specialized in postcards of Britain and the Middle East. After years of enduring "smothering little tents" to build his company and his legacy, Frith switched gears to a managerial role.
His new project involved photographing every notable and historic site in the United Kingdom, a project that required hiring additional photographers. Combined with his postcards of the Holy Land, Frith built a company that his family ran until 1971.
The gallery above is a digital alternative to flipping through these Victorian-era photos depicting a mix of Old Testament sites and Egyptian ruins in striking, sandy sepia tones.
After this look at the work of Francis Frith, check out mid-19th century photos decaying in beautiful ways. Then, have a look at the early 20th century, pro-Western Iraq that is now all but forgotten.
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