Jérusalem, Grotte de Jérémie 1854 - 1859

Auguste Salzmann captured Jérusalem, Grotte de Jérémie using a waxed paper negative, a process which speaks to photography’s intersection with both scientific documentation and artistic expression in the mid-19th century. Salzmann, a French archeologist, aimed to provide accurate representations of biblical sites. But, of course, no representation is neutral. Consider how the gaze of European photographers was often entangled with colonial interests, framing the ‘Orient’ through a Western lens. This photograph embodies a desire to capture and classify, fitting into a broader project of European engagement with the Middle East. What does it mean to photograph a site loaded with religious and historical significance? How might the act of photographing, and the choices of composition and light, reflect or impose a particular narrative?