The Rameseum 1858 - 1862

Curator: It is an image that almost feels barren. The sepia tones enhance the desolation. Editor: Indeed. This is a gelatin-silver print by Francis Frith, dating from between 1858 and 1862, depicting The Rameseum, now held at The Art Institute of Chicago. Curator: The Rameseum itself… it speaks volumes, doesn't it? Consider the colossal scale of the stone blocks, likely quarried miles away and transported with immense labor. You see the wear on the columns. Editor: Precisely. Frith, by using photography, was participating in a wider colonial project of documenting and, in a way, possessing these ancient sites. The figures included give it a human scale and underscore the grandeur but also reinforce a narrative of Western encounter and survey. Curator: I’m more fascinated by the means of representation. Gelatin-silver gives an incredible sharpness and longevity. But, how did the labor involved in creating the print affect perceptions of this place? It changes the power dynamic of seeing this place compared to actually seeing it in person. Editor: Good point. The reproducibility of the photograph makes the Rameseum available to a broader Western audience, contributing to the romanticism and academic study of ancient Egypt. Images such as these reinforced an exotic “otherness,” serving imperial ambitions. Curator: But also, how the market for these kinds of landscape prints boomed to change how people think about far away lands in general. Not just art for arts sake but something to fuel cultural movements. Editor: So true. These images became integral in constructing narratives, even colonial ideologies, about ancient civilizations for popular and academic consumption in the West. Frith wasn't just capturing an image but shaping perception. Curator: To think about how a simple gelatin-silver print can shift power… amazing. Editor: Absolutely. It highlights the intricate interplay between art, politics, and the historical gaze. It brings attention to the production.