Ile de Fîleh (Philæ), Édifice du Sud et Partie de la Colonnade Occidentale Vue du Point V
1851–52, printed 1853–54
Medium
Salted paper print from paper negative
Dimensions
23.7 x 30.5 cm. (9 5/16 x 12 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1976
Accession Number
1976.607.89
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's photography collection, where Félix Teynard's *Ile de Fîleh (Philæ), Éd du Sud et Partie la Colonnade Occidentale Vue du Point V* (1851–52, 1853–54) transports us to the sun-drenched ruins of ancient Egypt. Captured on the island of Philae in the Nile River, this salted paper print meticulously documents the South Building and a segment of the Western Colonn from a precise vantage point. The image reveals towering columns etched with hieroglyphs, evoking the grandeur of Ptolemaic temples dedicated to the goddess Isis, now symbols of enduring antiquity. Teynard, a pioneering French photographer, joined an 1851–52 scientific mission to document Egypt's monuments amid growing European fascination with Orientalism and archaeology. Printed by Imprimerie Photographique de H. de Fonteny et Cie, this 23.7 x 30.5 cm work is part of his seminal album *Voyage au Levant*, one of the earliest comprehensive photographic surveys of Egyptian sites, predating grander efforts like those of Francis Frith. The salted paper process, using a paper negative, yields a soft, textured tonality that enhances the ruins' dramatic shadows and intricate details—perfect for architectural precision in photography's infancy. Acquired through the Lila Acheson Wallace Gift in 1976, it highlights how 19th-century calotypes preserved vanishing wonders for posterity, bridging art, science, and cultural heritage.
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...