Temple d'Amada; Nubie Possibly 1849 - 1852

This photograph of the Temple of Amada in Nubia was created by Maxime Du Camp in the mid-19th century, using the calotype process. Du Camp, a French writer and photographer, traveled through Egypt and the Middle East, creating images that captured the grandeur of ancient sites. These photographs were made during a period of intense European interest in, and colonization of, the region. The photograph presents a colonial gaze, framing the site as an object of European study and control. The inclusion of a figure within the temple doorway serves to highlight the scale of the monument, while also subtly emphasizing the presence and implied authority of the Western observer. Du Camp’s photograph, while ostensibly documenting the Temple of Amada, also reveals the complex intersection of power, knowledge, and representation that characterized the colonial era. It invites us to reflect on who gets to tell whose stories, and the often-unacknowledged biases that shape our understanding of the past.