[Antiquities in the Museum at Cherchell, Algeria] 1853 - 1854

This photograph of antiquities in Cherchell, Algeria, was captured by John Beasley Greene. The image is made through a process called calotype, an early photographic technique using paper coated with silver iodide. The warm sepia tone of the print comes from the developing process, influencing the overall mood. The photograph depicts a collection of ancient Roman sculptures, likely discovered in the area, now housed in a museum. The play of light and shadow emphasizes the textures of the stone, the rough walls, and tiled floor, evidence of the layers of history. Greene’s choice of calotype gives the image a soft, almost dreamlike quality, contrasting with the sharp, detailed realism that was becoming more and more common in photography at the time. The labor here is Greene’s, who traveled to Algeria, carefully composing this photograph to document the vestiges of a colonial past. It serves as a reminder that photography itself is a material process tied to exploration and documentation. It’s an interesting question to ask what is being documented here and why.