Gezicht op Jeruzalem vanaf de zuidelijke stadsmuur 1859 - 1861

Here is Francis Frith’s stereoscopic albumen print, showing a view of Jerusalem from the southern city wall. Frith was among the first to create a large-scale photographic printing and publishing firm, and he traveled extensively in the Middle East to obtain views such as this. What might it have meant for Frith, a white, English, Christian man to photograph Jerusalem? The city is sacred to three major religions, and each lends a layer of cultural significance to this image. These early photographs catered to a Western audience eager to see the ‘Orient’. They reflect a colonial gaze, framing Jerusalem as an exotic, timeless place. However, it's impossible to separate Frith's personal experience from the photograph. He sought to document the area with precision and, for viewers then and now, the photograph offers a window into a world both familiar and distant. Consider the weight of history embedded in the stones of that wall. This image invites us to reflect on whose stories are told, and how, in the visual records we inherit.