Tempel van Athena in Paestum 1861 - 1878

This is a stereoscopic image of the Temple of Athena in Paestum, created by Ernest Eléonor Pierre Lamy sometime between 1828 and 1900. In Lamy’s time, photography was entwined with exploration, architecture, and archaeology. The proliferation of images of classical ruins coincided with Europe's colonial expansion, where there was an increased interest in tracing the roots of Western civilization. This photograph of the Greek temple is caught in a complex relationship with the cultural gaze of the 19th-century European, reinforcing a sense of historical continuity and cultural ownership. The image has an emotional resonance. The romantic desolation of the temple evokes themes of history, memory, and the passage of time. This stereo photograph reflects a colonial ideology that sought to appropriate and control histories through the act of documentation and preservation.