The Approach to Phil‘

Art Historical Context

**The Approach to Philae** *Francis Frith, 1857* Albumen silver print from glass Francis Frith's *The Approach to Philae captures the majestic landscape leading to the ancient island temple of Philae on the Nile in Egypt. Created in 1857, this albumen silver print from a glass negative exemplifies Frith's pioneering expeditions to the Middle East, where he documented monumental sites with unprecedented clarity during the mid-19th century's boom. Frith, a leading British photographer, traveled to Egypt three times between 1856 and 1860, producing some of the era's most influential lands...

About the Artist

Francis Frith · 1822–1898

Francis Frith (1822–1898) was born on 7 October 1822 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, into a prosperous Quaker merchant family as the second child and only son of Francis Frith Sr. and Alice Walker. Educated at Quaker schools including Ackworth and Camp Hill in Birmingham from around 1828 to 1838, he apprenticed in the cutlery trade before establishing himself as a wholesale grocer in Liverpool, suppl...