Gizeh: Excavated temple at the foot of the Sphinx
Photograph
4-3-1862 (photographed)
4-3-1862 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Francis Bedford was born in Camden, London, in 1815. Starting out as a lithographer, he moved on to photography in 1853, a relatively new medium at the time. He regularly exhibited at the Royal Photogprahic Society, of which he became vice-president in 1861. In 1862 he joined the Prince of Wales on a royal tour from Cairo to Constantinople. On the way he recorded many historic sites, ruins and local architecture. This photograph of an excavation site was taken in Giza, Egypt, at the foot of the Sphinx. Bedford produced about 190 plates in four months. To do this he travelled with chemicals, 10 x 12 inch glass negatives, a tripod, a darkroom, lenses and a large camera. Upon return, Bedford published a selection of his photographs with Day & Son, and exhibited at the German Gallery on Bond Street. His photographs were well-received by the Illustrated London News, the British Journal of Photography and The Times. In 1867 he was rewarded a silver medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris for his Middle Eastern views.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Gizeh: Excavated temple at the foot of the Sphinx (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print from a collodion-on-glass negative |
| Brief description | 'Gizeh: Excavated Temple at the foot of the Sphinx', Albumen print from a collodion-on-glass negative, Francis Bedford, 1860-1862 |
| Physical description | Albumen print of an archaeological site with a number of figures |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label |
|
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | Francis Bedford was born in Camden, London, in 1815. Starting out as a lithographer, he moved on to photography in 1853, a relatively new medium at the time. He regularly exhibited at the Royal Photogprahic Society, of which he became vice-president in 1861. In 1862 he joined the Prince of Wales on a royal tour from Cairo to Constantinople. On the way he recorded many historic sites, ruins and local architecture. This photograph of an excavation site was taken in Giza, Egypt, at the foot of the Sphinx. Bedford produced about 190 plates in four months. To do this he travelled with chemicals, 10 x 12 inch glass negatives, a tripod, a darkroom, lenses and a large camera. Upon return, Bedford published a selection of his photographs with Day & Son, and exhibited at the German Gallery on Bond Street. His photographs were well-received by the Illustrated London News, the British Journal of Photography and The Times. In 1867 he was rewarded a silver medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris for his Middle Eastern views. |
| Bibliographic reference | Sophie Gordon, Cairo to Constantinople. Francis Bedford's Photographs of the Middle East, Royal Collection Trust 2013
Stephanie Spencer, Francis Bedford, Landscape Photography and Nineteenth-Century British Culture, The Artist as Entrepreneur, Ashgate Publishing, 2011 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 53654 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | July 29, 2003 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
