Ruïne van een moskee 1857

This is a photograph, titled "Ruïne van een moskee," or "Ruins of a Mosque," made by Francis Frith in the 19th century. The image itself is a product of a complex chemical process, which Frith mastered, becoming a very successful commercial photographer. Look closely, and you can see the way that Frith has arranged the composition to emphasize the ruinous state of the building, with crumbling walls that attest to the forces of time. It is an aesthetic choice to photograph this subject. It reflects a fascination with the passage of time, and with a sort of colonialist vision of the Middle East. It presents a scene of decay. The act of capturing this image was tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. Frith's images were both art and commodity. He operated on an industrial scale, mass-producing images for an eager market back in Europe. Understanding Frith's photograph requires us to consider it not just as a work of art, but as a product of a specific moment in history, reflecting the complex relationship between Europe and the Middle East in the 19th century.