Satyr, British Museum
1869–72
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
Image: 28 x 21.8 cm (11 x 8 9/16 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.510
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of the British Museum, photographer Stephen Thompson captured this striking image of a satyr statue between 1869 and 1872. Titled *Satyr, British Museum*, the albumen silver print showcases a classical marble figure of the mythological creature—half-man, half-goat, symbolizing revelry and nature's wild spirit from ancient Greek lore. Thompson, a pioneering Victorian photographer, specialized in documenting museum collections, bringing the grandeur of antiquity to a wider audience at a time when photography was revolutionizing art preservation and study. The medium, an albumen sil...