Jérusalem, Palais de rois de Jérusalem, Vue générale

Art Historical Context

In 1854, French photographer Auguste Salzmann captured ancient grandeur of Jerusalem's Palace of the Kings of Jerusalem this salted paper print, titled *Jérusalem, Palais rois de Jérusalem, générale*. Produced by the pioneering Imprimerie photographique Blanquart-Évrard in Lille, the image offers a sweeping vista of the Crusader-era, evoking the layered history of this holy city where medieval kings once ruled amid biblical landscapes. Salzmann's work arrived during photography's infancy, just two decades after its invention, making it a precious early document of Middle Eastern architecture. This salted paper print, made from a paper negative—a technique refined from William Henry Fox Talbot's calotype process—reveals the medium's soft tonal range and subtle details, ideal for architectural subjects. The 23.3 x 33.3 cm image, mounted on a larger 44.8 x 59.6 cm sheet, preserves crumbling stone facades and arched remnants with remarkable clarity for the era, highlighting photography's power to freeze time before further decay or conflict. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, this photograph not only showcases 19th-century innovation but also underscores cultural fascination with the Holy Land, bridging art, history, and exploration for modern viewers.

About the Artist

Auguste Salzmann|Imprimerie photographique de Blanquart-Évrard, à Lille · 1824–1872

Born 15 april 1824. Salzmann travelled to Palestine in 1850 to 1851 as a draughtsman for a French expedition to the East. Salzmann returned to Paris, France in 1851 and learned photography which he used as an aid to his archaeological research. In 1853 Salzmann was commissioned by the Ministry of Public Instruction to visit Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and the islands of the Archipelago to photograph ...