Jérusalem, Sainte-Marie-la-Grande, Cloître

Art Historical Context

Step into the sun-dappled cloister of Sainte-Marie-la-Grande in through Auguste Salzmann's evocative 1854 salted paper print. Capturing the weathered arches and ruins of this historic Crusader-era church—once a grand Benedictine abbey—this photograph transports viewers to the Holy City's layered past, where Gothic stonework whispers tales of medieval pilgrims and conquests. Salzmann, a French surgeon-turned-photographer, embarked on pioneering expedition to Jerusalem in 185354, driven by a passion to document its sacred architecture amid political tensions and decay. Printed by Louis-Désiré Blanquart-Évrard's innovative Imprimerie photographique in Lille, this salted paper print from a paper negative exemplifies early calotype processes—rich in tonal depth yet fragile, making such images rare survivors. Salzmann's meticulous compositions, later published in his landmark album *Jérusalem*, offered unprecedented visual records for scholars and romantics alike. Today, housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, this 23 x 32.9 cm gem highlights photography's power as an archaeological tool, freezing time for a vanishing world and bridging 19th-century innovation with ancient splendor.

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 ...