The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Kom Ombo

c. 1858

Francis Frith

(British, 1822–1898)
publisher

William Mackenzie

England, 19th century
albumen print from wet collodion negative
Image: 39.5 x 49 cm (15 9/16 x 19 5/16 in.); Matted: 61 x 76.2 cm (24 x 30 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1986.193
Location: Not on view

Description

Frith often emulated the drawings of David Roberts in selecting monuments to illustrate and positions from which to shoot. Both artists encountered the temple at Kom Ombo still more than halfway buried in sand. “It reminds you of some grand old giant, buried to the shoulders,” wrote Frith, “not dead yet, but overpowered and imprisoned by some potent spell—majestic in his helplessness.” In his photographs, however, Frith cared less about emotional impact and more about the accuracy of his depictions. “A truthful record is of more value than the most elaborately beautiful picture,” he proclaimed.
  • Robert Hershkowitz, Ltd., Sussex, United Kingdom
    February 2, 1987
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Turner, Evan H. "The Year in Review for 1986." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 2 (1987): 38-79. p. 65, no. 75, repr. p. 64 25159974
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Tom E Hinson. Catalogue of Photography. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Reproduced: P. 178
  • Pyramids & Sphinxes: Views of Egypt. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 6-May 24, 2016).
    Year in Review for 1986. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 4-March 15, 1987).
  • {{cite web|title=Kom Ombo|url=false|author=Francis Frith, William Mackenzie|year=c. 1858|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1986.193