Caire c. 19th century

This albumen silver print of ‘Caire’ was captured by Félix Bonfils in the late 19th century, and what immediately strikes you is the sepia tone, which gives the scene a timeless, almost dreamlike quality. The composition is carefully structured using the converging lines of the road and the avenue of trees to draw the eye towards the distant pyramids. Bonfils uses the pyramids, not as monumental forms, but as background elements that are subservient to the framing elements of trees and road. This suggests a preoccupation not with the subject as such, but with the formal qualities of the photograph itself. The textures of the sandy ground, the foliage, and the weathered surfaces of the pyramids add a tactile dimension. The photograph is not merely a record, but a constructed image where the formal arrangement creates a dialogue between near and far, solid and ephemeral, drawing us into a space that feels both familiar and otherworldly. It reflects a moment where photography began to explore its own language, separate from mere representation.