Emperors of the Gaze: Photographic Practices and Productions of Space in Egypt, 1839–1914

Abstract

This chapter focuses on European and American photographers who travelled in Egypt between 1839 and 1914. It considers the formation and development of a photographic tradition concerned with monumental description. The chapter then considers the formation and development of another photographic tradition which was concerned with quasi-ethnographic description. By 1910, one popular guidebook, published in French, English and German, included a series of ‘Hints on photography’ for ‘persons who, whilst travelling in Egypt with a “Kodak” or similar camera, wish to secure views of the sights visited, the buildings seen, or to take snap-shots of the types of natives they come across, and scenes of life they may witness’. There were few problems in photographing general views or buildings, and the guidebook provided an elaborate script which instructed tourists exactly when and where they should stand in order to obtain the best results. These were called ‘special photographs’ and corresponded to the stock list of ‘sights’.

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