Friday, July 20, 2007

Exhibition: Global Views: 19th-Century Travel Photographs

Princeton University

A short article describing the exhibition which is on show until the 28th September at Princeton University's McCormick Hall. This is a lovely page showing some great sepia photographs from the exhibition.


In the second half of the 19th century, professional photographic firms arose in the major cities of Western Europe, as well as in more remote travel destinations such as Greece, Egypt, India, Asia and the Middle East. Catering to an influx of European and American tourists, a growing number of travel photographers documented historical monuments, archaeological sites and scenes of daily life from the Middle East and Asia. The exhibition features some of these unique images, which have historical value in terms of the development of photography and the study of the architectural and social history of the regions in which they were produced.


Photos on the page include the Great Sphinx submerged in Sand, a group of people sitting in the lap of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel, visitors to the Kiosk of Kertassi (now moved to the island of New Kalabsha to avoid flooding by Lake Nasser), and camel riders and trees next to the Great Pyramid of Giza, without a tourist in sight!

For those of you lucky enough to be in the vicinity of Princeton University (New Jersey, U.S.), details of the Department of Art and Archaeology, which is hosting the exhibition, can be found on the Department's website.

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