Pilaren van de Tempel van Jupiter in Baalbek c. 1876 - 1900

This albumen print of the Temple of Jupiter in Baalbek was made by Maison Bonfils. The image, like any photograph, is an index of a specific time and place, created through the manipulation of light and chemistry. But it's also a carefully staged object, a commercial product of its time. Bonfils, a French photographer based in Beirut, produced countless images of the Middle East for European tourists and scholars. Look closely, and you can see the texture of the paper, the subtle tonal shifts achieved through the developing process. These material qualities remind us that this isn't just a neutral record, but a crafted representation. The grand scale of the temple is undeniable, yet consider the labor involved in quarrying, transporting, and carving these massive stones. Bonfils’ photograph captures not only the ancient architecture, but also, indirectly, the social dynamics of his own era.