Les cariatides du Ramesseum 134

1860–80s

Abdullah Frères

(Turkish, 1858–1899)

Culture

Turkey

Medium

albumen print

Credit Line

Gift of Leslie and Donald O’Bell 2023.131

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

While Britain maintained a significant military and commercial presence in Egypt in the nineteenth century, the country was ruled by the Ottoman Empire.

Description

This photograph of the ruins of the memorial temple of Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses the Great was produced by Abdullah Frères, a studio run by three brothers. Based in Istanbul, it was the most celebrated photographic studio in the Ottoman Empire. This depiction of the sculptures of Osiris and the pharaoh echoes and complements views of these sculptures by British photographer Francis Frith (1992.236) and French photographers Henri Béchard (2006.118) and Adolphe Braun (1992.244).