Gezicht op de tempel van Baäl te Baalbek before 1875

Francis Frith captured this photograph of the Temple of Baal in Baalbek, now Lebanon, sometime in the mid-19th century. Frith was one of the first British photographers to travel to the Middle East, and his work provides insight into the Victorian era's perception of the region. During this period, the Middle East was seen through a colonial lens, often romanticized or exoticized. Frith's images, while technically impressive for their time, also participated in this dynamic, shaping Western views of the East. Consider the power dynamics inherent in his position as a Western photographer documenting a foreign land. How might his cultural background have influenced what he chose to capture and how he presented it? This photograph serves not only as a historical document of the Temple of Baal, but also as a reflection of the complex relationship between the West and the Middle East during the age of imperialism.