Jérusalem, Saint-Sépulcre, Détails du Clocher 1854 - 1859

Auguste Salzmann made this photograph of a bell tower in Jerusalem using the salted paper process. Photography in the mid-19th century served as a tool for documentation and, at times, a tool of empire. Salzmann was commissioned to photograph the Holy Land for archeological study under the assumption that the original biblical landscape could be recovered through photography. However, the photograph does more than just record architectural details. Salzmann's choice to focus on the bell tower, a symbol of Christian presence, highlights the complex and often fraught relationship between religious identity, land, and power in Jerusalem. The image is not a neutral record, it reflects the photographer's and the commissioner's investment in a particular vision of the city’s past and future. To truly understand the artwork, it would be fascinating to delve into the archives of the French archeological missions, exploring the social and political context that shaped the production of images like this. We might then better understand the image’s role in shaping European perceptions of the Middle East.