Kleitabletten bij de kiosk van Kertassi before 1859

Francis Frith captured this albumen print, "Kleitabletten bij de kiosk van Kertassi," sometime in the mid-19th century. Frith, a pioneering photographer, turned his lens to Egypt, documenting its ancient sites and monuments. The image shows stone tablets near a kiosk in Kertassi, their surfaces etched with inscriptions. The act of inscription itself is a form of labor, of course, a laborious process with hammer and chisel that speaks to the cultural significance and social context of ancient Egypt, where skilled artisans were commissioned to produce enduring records. Photography, itself a relatively new technology at the time, offered a different kind of labor. It was a process of capturing and reproducing images. Frith's work reflects a shift in modes of production and consumption, as photography democratized access to visual representations of distant lands. The image serves as both a record of ancient craftsmanship and an early example of industrial image-making. By emphasizing materials, making, and context, Frith's photograph challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.