Principal Source of the Jordan, Flowing From a Cave Near Banias, Near the Site of the Northern City of Dan, the Frontier Town of Israel 1855 - 1859

This photograph of the source of the Jordan River was captured by Francis Frith, a British photographer, during a trip to Palestine in the 1850s. Frith was one of the first photographers to capture images of the Middle East, at a time when the region was largely unknown to Western audiences. In this image, Frith presents a seemingly objective view of the landscape, but we must ask ourselves, what does it mean for a British photographer to document this region? Considered the “the holy land” to many, this image embodies nineteenth-century Orientalist views, framing the Middle East through a Western lens. It reflects a colonial gaze, where the land is perceived as both a resource and a site of biblical history. What untold stories exist behind Frith’s image?