Pyramids of Cheops and Cephrenes [The Great Pyramid and the Pyramid of Khafre, Giza, Egypt]
Pyramids of Cheops and Cephrenes [The Great Pyramid and the Pyramid of Khafre, Giza, Egypt]

On view

European Art

Pyramids of Cheops and Cephrenes [The Great Pyramid and the Pyramid of Khafre, Giza, Egypt],

March 5, 1862

Francis Bedford, 1816–1894; born and died London, England
x1984-83

After taking up photography and helping found the Royal Photographic Society in Britain, Bedford became the first photographer to be invited on a royal tour. This image of the pyramids was made during one of Prince Albert’s stops along the Nile, which included climbing the Great Pyramid in the early morning to enjoy what he noted was “a fine view on the top.” Bedford’s photographs from this tour offer a landmark architectural and archaeological record for the time, not only in Egypt—which had seen increased travel from Europe after Napoleon’s invasion in 1798—but also in territories in the Ottoman Empire that were increasingly open to tourism, including Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece.

Information

Title
Pyramids of Cheops and Cephrenes [The Great Pyramid and the Pyramid of Khafre, Giza, Egypt]
Dates

March 5, 1862

Maker
Francis Bedford
Medium
Albumen print
Dimensions
20.3 x 26.6 cm (8 x 10 1/2 in.) mount: 35.5 x 51 cm. (14 x 20 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Mary Ogden Thompson in memory of Montgomery Kneass Ogden, Class of 1903, and Bryan Kneass Ogden, Class of 1905
Object Number
x1984-83
Place Depicted

Africa, Egypt, Giza

Culture
British
Type
photographs, black-and-white photographs
Subject
Pyramids

The artist. Acquired by the Ogden family, 1868; acquired by Mary Ogden Thompson, after 1925; given to the Princeton University Art Museum, 1984.

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