Vallei der Koningen before 1862

Francis Frith made this albumen print entitled "Vallei der Koningen", or Valley of the Kings. Frith was among the first British photographers to capture the Near East. His work in the 1850s and 60s coincided with a period of intense imperial expansion and the growth of biblical archaeology. This image shows the ancient burial ground of Egyptian pharaohs. It's not just a landscape; it's a potent symbol of power, death, and the afterlife, made at a time when Europe was increasingly fascinated with ancient civilizations. The small figures in the foreground underscore the scale of the landscape and the magnitude of the archaeological endeavor. Photography, here, is not just documentation, but also a tool of cultural appropriation, framing the narrative of the past for a Western audience. To understand this image better, we can research the history of photography, British colonialism, and Egyptology. This reveals how cultural, economic and institutional forces shape our understanding of art and history.