Jardin de l'hotel du Nil 1849 - 1851

Maxime Du Camp made this photograph of the Jardin de l'hotel du Nil, using a paper negative, sometime in the mid-19th century. Du Camp was a French writer and photographer whose travels took him to Egypt around 1850. This image, like many from that era, reflects a colonial gaze, framing foreign lands and people through a Western lens. In this photograph, the hotel is presented as an exotic backdrop, its residents absent, turning it into a still life. Du Camp’s work was supported by the French government, which speaks volumes about the political interests at play during this period of exploration and documentation. This image stands as a poignant reminder of the power dynamics inherent in the act of seeing and recording. It invites us to consider who gets to tell history, and from what vantage point.