[Valley of the Kings, Thebes] 1855 - 1859

“[Valley of the Kings, Thebes]” (1855–59) is a striking photograph by Francis Frith, a leading figure in the 19th-century photography movement. This work, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, captures the stark beauty of the ancient Egyptian landscape, with its desolate yet monumental scale. Frith's photograph, taken during his travels through Egypt, utilizes a long-focus lens to emphasize the immense size of the Valley of the Kings, where many pharaohs were entombed, adding to the historical significance of the site and contributing to the genre of travel photography.