Jérusalem, Chemin de Beit-Lehem 1854 - 1859

Auguste Salzmann created this salt print photograph titled "Jérusalem, Chemin de Beit-Lehem" sometime in the mid-19th century. This quiet landscape showing the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem can be seen as part of a broader European interest in documenting and possessing the “Holy Land.” Photography in this period served not only as a means of documentation but also as a tool for reinforcing cultural and religious narratives. Salzmann, like many of his contemporaries, was influenced by the Orientalist movement, which often presented the Middle East as a timeless, exotic land, ripe for Western exploration and interpretation. This particular image, with its serene and seemingly untouched landscape, idealizes the region, overlooking the social and political realities of the time. To fully understand this photograph, we need to look at travel accounts, missionary records, and colonial archives. These sources can tell us about the political and cultural context in which Salzmann operated, revealing the complex relationship between art, empire, and representation.