Gezicht in een straat in Caïro before 1862

Francis Frith produced this albumen print titled "Street View in Cairo" during his travels in the Near East. During the 19th century, photography was heavily tied to European colonialism, with the camera being used as a tool of documentation and control. Frith's photographs, while seemingly objective, were often framed to create a romanticized and exoticized view of the East, reinforcing Western stereotypes. Notice the composition: the narrow street, the traditional architecture, and the distant minaret all contribute to a sense of otherness. Frith sold these images to a European audience eager for a glimpse of a world far removed from their own. To fully understand Frith's work, we can look at travel writing from this time, examining the colonial discourse that shaped European perceptions of the Middle East. By interrogating the social context in which this photograph was produced and consumed, we can gain insights into the power dynamics at play during this period of history.