Fontein van Sint-Filippus, Jeruzalem 1854 - 1856

Auguste Salzmann created this albumen print, "Fountain of Saint Philip, Jerusalem", sometime in the mid-19th century. Salzmann, a French archeologist and photographer, was commissioned to photograph the Holy Land in the 1850s. These photographs took place amidst European colonial interests in the region. His images were intended to authenticate Biblical narratives and promote Western political and religious agendas. Salzmann’s work reinforced a Eurocentric view of the Middle East by depicting it as a land of ancient ruins, devoid of contemporary life. The image stirs a complex interplay of faith, power, and representation. The photograph captures the stark, timeless quality of Jerusalem's landscape, yet it also reflects the photographer’s, and by extension, Western culture's selective gaze. The fountain, named after a Christian saint, becomes a focal point through which a Western narrative is imposed on a place with a vastly different history and culture. Ultimately, the image is a powerful reminder of how photography can serve as both a tool for documentation and a medium for shaping perceptions.