Egypt, Sinai and Palestine. Supplementary Volume 1860s

Editor: Here we have Francis Frith's "Egypt, Sinai and Palestine. Supplementary Volume" dating back to the 1860s. It's an albumen print showcasing a cityscape. There's something so evocative about the texture and aged quality of the print itself. What do you see in this piece? Curator: This photograph, more than a simple depiction, offers a view into the materials and labor practices of 19th-century image-making and colonial documentation. Think about the albumen print itself; the process, involving egg whites and silver nitrate, was labour intensive. Its purpose then, to depict a place far removed from the intended viewers, involved exploitation and power. Editor: Colonial documentation? That's interesting! So, it's not just about the buildings and the landscape. It's about the system that allowed this image to even exist? Curator: Exactly. Consider the materiality: paper sourced and manufactured, chemicals produced, the photographer's labour, the infrastructure required for travel and development. This photograph, offered in book form to be purchased and possessed, serves to create and solidify specific notions of the Orient for a Western audience and its capitalist and colonial market. How do you think Frith's position as a Western photographer might influence the way this cityscape is presented and received? Editor: Well, seeing it like that definitely adds a layer I hadn’t considered. The selection of viewpoint, the framing of the 'exotic' cityscape... it becomes more deliberate. It is no longer just a passive document. Curator: Precisely. Recognizing the processes that give rise to it helps us comprehend its significance. We acknowledge the power of the hand—both in its making and its marketing. Editor: I see now! It makes me appreciate how critical it is to really consider who made the artwork and under what circumstances. I’ll definitely be thinking about this picture from that angle now. Curator: Agreed. Understanding those elements offers so much additional value to understanding an artistic document like this albumen print of a Damascus cityscape.