Ruïne van de tempel van Amenhotep III before 1862

This albumen print of the Ruin of the Temple of Amenhotep III was made by Francis Frith in the mid-nineteenth century. Frith was one of the first commercial photographers to make large-scale images of the Middle East. This image and others like it are important examples of the visual codes of early travel photography, which often romanticized the ancient world as a way of reinforcing European colonial power. By documenting the ruins of ancient civilizations, photographers like Frith contributed to a narrative of cultural decline, implicitly justifying European intervention and control. To truly understand this image, we need to research the history of photography, European colonialism, and Egyptology. By looking at Frith's other work, his place in the history of photography, and by reading contemporary accounts of European travelers in Egypt, we can better understand the complex social and political context in which this image was made and circulated.