The North Shore of the Dead Sea 1857

Curator: This albumen print is "The North Shore of the Dead Sea," taken in 1857 by Francis Frith. What's your first impression? Editor: A rather bleak expanse. It feels very much like a liminal space, the way the water meets the parched land littered with broken branches. The Dead Sea already carries significant symbolic weight, of course. Curator: Indeed. Consider Frith's undertaking—hauling his equipment to this remote location. He had to use the collodion process in stifling heat and light, no less. Editor: The starkness definitely resonates with the Dead Sea's traditional role as a place of punishment, of desolation. Think of Sodom and Gomorrah. This photograph feels haunted, even though it is sparsely populated by people. Curator: It’s fascinating how the chemical processes involved become a part of the cultural expression, isn't it? We are witnessing an early iteration of photography as a form of documentation but also cultural commentary. Editor: Absolutely. Frith, known for his Egyptian landscapes, intentionally photographed a space so inextricably linked with biblical narratives. Notice how tiny the figures are, almost overwhelmed by the scale of the landscape. This enhances the feeling of human insignificance in the face of divine judgment. The fallen trees feel almost allegorical. Curator: The albumen print method created its own materiality for representing the stark environment; that sepia tone feels very appropriate. Editor: It mutes the vibrancy of the land. The muted tones certainly add to that feeling of aridity and absence. I can see in this work why Frith made a career creating striking pictures in regions synonymous with both grand narratives and forbidding environments. Curator: By facing these harsh conditions, his labor is an invisible yet vital ingredient. He has shaped this visual depiction using skill, ingenuity, and back-breaking labor. Editor: He has certainly woven symbolism and hard-won reality together in a memorable photograph. Curator: Indeed, quite remarkable! Editor: Quite so.