Karnak (Thèbes), Palais - Salle Hypostyle - Fenêtre et Chapiteaux des Galleries Latérales 1851 - 1852

This photograph of the Karnak Temple was taken by Félix Teynard, using a waxed paper negative, a relatively new technology at the time. Look closely at the surfaces of these massive columns. These aren’t smooth, abstract forms; they’re covered in hieroglyphs and figures, each carefully inscribed. Consider the labor involved in carving this hypostyle hall, each cut into the stone requiring countless hours of skilled work. The columns don't stand in isolation. They are physically connected by stone lintels, forming a structure. Teynard’s image captures not just the temple's architecture but also the intersection of human effort and cultural expression. The act of carving stone is as crucial to understanding this place as the forms that have resulted. The photograph itself involved considerable effort; the early photographic process, with its cumbersome equipment and demanding chemistry, echoes the monumental human labor embodied in the architecture. Recognizing the craft and labor within Karnak, and within Teynard's photograph, helps us to look beyond the divisions of art and craft, ancient and modern.