Félix Teynard (French, 1817-1892). Salted paper print from calotype negative, 1851-52 (printed 1853-54), from Égypte et Nubie, sites et monuments les plus intéressants pour l'étude de l'art et de l'histoire, deuxième partie, pl. 153

Félix Teynard, a civil engineer, traveled to Egypt during 1851-52, desiring to update with photographs the standard architectural reference book on Egypt, Description de l'Egypte, previously illustrated with oversized engravings. Teynard's survey resulted in a new publication of 160 salted paper prints with accompanying text. This image of the Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel exemplifies Teynard's special vision. His eye and camera concentrated on oblique angles, complex shadows, and appealing, but not necessarily relevant details. The photograph describes the considerable mass that had to be cut out of the cliff in order to create the colossal statues. In the foreground is the sand slope, at left is the Nile, and in the distance are the cliffs of the right bank. Clearly, Teynard's interest was in describing the scene's poetic beauty, not in producing an archeological record of a monument.

Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1992.234
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