Jérusalem, Enceinte du Temple, Vue générale de la face Est, Pl. 3

Art Historical Context

In 1854, French photographer Auguste Salzmann capturedJérusalem, Enceinte du Temple, Vue de la face Est,. 3*—a sweeping view of the east face of Jerusalem's Temple Mount enclosure—during his pioneering expedition to the Holy Land Commissioned amid growing European fascination with biblical archaeology, Salzmann's journey from 1853 to 1854 produced one of the earliest photographic albums of the city's sacred sites, printed by the innovative Imprimerie photographique Blanquart-Évrard in Lille. This paper print, Plate 3 from the series, offers visitors a rare window into mid-19th-century Jerusalem, its ancient walls and domes rendered with startling clarity against a vast sky. The image exemplifies the calotype process, using a paper negative to create multiple salted paper prints prized for their soft, luminous tones and subtle gradations—hallmarks of early photography before the sharper albumen prints dominated. At 22.8 × 33.2 cm, it balances documentary precision with artistic poetry, preserving architectural details that drawings of the era often idealized or distorted. Salzmann's work held cultural weight, fueling scholarly debates on biblical topography and inspiring travelers, while highlighting photography's power to authenticate distant wonders. Today, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, this fragile print reminds us how 1850s innovators like Salzmann transformed sight into history, bridging East and West through light and chemistry.

About the Artist

Imprimerie photographique de Blanquart-Évrard, à Lille|Auguste Salzmann ( |French) · |1851 – |1855

French|French, active 1851–55