Souâdj, Cimetière Musulman et Tombeau de Mouràd-Bey
1851–52, printed 1853–54
Medium
Salted paper print from paper negative
Dimensions
24.0 x 30.0 cm. (9 7/16 x 11 13/16 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1976
Accession Number
1976.607.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the sun-drenched sands of 19th-century Egypt with Teynard's *Souâdj, Cimetière Musulman et Tombeau Mouràd-Bey* (1851–52, printed 1853–). This salted paper print captures a serene Muslim cemetery and the tomb of Mourad-Bey, a prominent Mamluk leader, in the Egyptian locale of Souâdj. Teynard, a pioneering French photographer, documented Egypt's architectural wonders during an era of European fascination with the Orient, blending exploration with artistry. Printed from a paper negative using the calotype process—a breakthrough technique pioneered by William Henry Fox Talbot—the image'...
About the Artist
Félix Teynard|Imprimerie Photographique de H. de Fonteny et Cie · 1817–1892
**Félix Teynard (1817–1892)** was a pioneering French photographer whose work captured the ancient wonders of Egypt and Nubia with unprecedented precision and artistry. Born on January 14, 1817, in Saint-Flour, he trained as a civil engineer in Grenoble, a hub of Egyptology that likely sparked his fascination with ancient architecture. Little is documented about his early life or formal photograph...