Pompey’s Column, Alexandria (68. Alexandrie 1842. Colonne de Pompée.) 1842

Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey made this photograph of Pompey’s Column in Alexandria in 1842 using the daguerreotype process. The daguerreotype was photography's first commercially successful method. Each plate is unique, and its silvery surface gives the image a mirror-like quality. This one is particularly interesting because it freezes in time both the ancient monument and the very new technology used to capture it. Consider what it took to make this image: the preparation of the silvered copper plate, the long exposure time, the careful development, and the transportation of equipment to Egypt. The resulting photograph is a testament to both the enduring allure of ancient monuments, and the rapidly changing world of the 19th century. It’s a marriage of chemistry, optics, and human effort, all driven by a burgeoning global culture of travel and documentation. This photograph underscores how new technologies change our perception, and our relationship to the past.