View at Luxor,

1856–57

Frith made his first expedition to Egypt in 1856, and the photographs he brought back to England caused such a sensation that their sale financed two return trips before the decade’s close. Frith traveled throughout Egypt with a wicker darkroom (which doubled as his sleeping quarters) and three cameras, the largest producing 15 x 19 inch glass negatives. Egypt’s stifling heat and the medium’s toxic chemicals made creating these images a very time-intensive and difficult process. The proliferation of European photographers working in the Middle East demonstrates a Western desire to explore other cultures. In this image, Frith captured local people standing among ruins, both portraying the grandeur of the architecture and documenting the local population, suggesting a continuation of interest in Egypt’s past and present.