Cleopatra's terrace before 1887

Frank Jay Haynes captured ‘Cleopatra’s Terrace’ using photography, a relatively new medium in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The photographic process itself relies on a complex interaction of materials: light-sensitive chemicals, glass plates, and specialized lenses, all orchestrated within the controlled environment of the darkroom. Haynes, as a commercial photographer, was deeply engaged with the industrial processes that made his art possible, from the mass production of photographic equipment to the distribution networks that carried his images to a wide audience. The albumen print, with its warm sepia tones and smooth surface, creates a sense of depth and texture, capturing the natural terraces. Photography democratized image-making, offering a means of representation that was both more accessible and seemingly objective. Haynes’ work straddles the line between art and industry, inviting us to consider the social and economic forces that shape our understanding of both nature and art.