Jérusalem, Saint Sépulcre, Vue générale de la Chapelle du Calvaire 1854 - 1859

This salt print captures the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, through the lens of Auguste Salzmann's camera. Salzmann was commissioned to photograph the Holy Land in the mid-1850s, a time when the region was under Ottoman rule. The visual language of photography was often entwined with colonial agendas. His photographs not only documented architectural and religious sites, but they also reflect a Western gaze towards the East. What does it mean to look at a place as sacred as Jerusalem through the eyes of a European man? Consider how Salzmann's identity as a Westerner may have influenced his choice of subject matter and composition. The photograph invites a consideration of the complex interplay between faith, power, and representation. It offers a moment to reflect on the historical and cultural forces that shape our understanding of sacred spaces and identities.