Gezicht op een bron in de woestijn bij de Rode zee c. 1850 - 1865

This photograph, "Gezicht op een bron in de woestijn bij de Rode zee" was created by Francis Frith, during a time when photography was increasingly intertwined with colonial narratives. Frith's work invites us to consider the gaze through which the Western world viewed the Middle East, framing it as exotic and timeless. These images often served to reinforce a sense of Western superiority, while simultaneously ignoring the complex social and political realities of the region. What does it mean to capture a place through the lens of someone who isn't from there? Consider how the representation of the desert, with its promise of the biblical and the ancient, plays into Western fantasies and power dynamics. Reflect upon how photography, as a tool, can both reveal and conceal the truths of a place and its people.