Mosque of Sultan al-Hakim, Cairo (117. Kaire. 1843 Gâma Soultan Ansoun détails [sic])

Art Historical Context

Step into the sunlit arches of Cairo's historic Mosque of Sultan al-H through this exquisite daguerreotype by French artist and pioneering photographer Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, captured between 1842 and 1843. Titled *Mosque of Sultan alakim, Cairo (117 Kaire. 1843 Gâma Soultan Ansoun détails [sic])*, the image measures 9 7/16 × 3 11/16 inches and reveals intricate architectural details of the 11th-century Fatimid, a gem of Islamic design with its towering minarets and ornate facades. Created just three years after Louis Daguerre announced his revolutionary process in 1839, this photograph is a technical marvel: a one-of-a-kind positive image formed on a silvered copper plate, polished to a mirror-like sheen and fixed with mercury vapor. Girault de Prangey, an archaeologist-turned-photographer, lugged his bulky equipment across the Middle East, producing some of the earliest surviving photos of Islamic architecture and daily life. His meticulous labeling hints at a scholarly passion for documenting the exotic East. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Photographs Department (2016.603), this rare piece bridges 19th-century European curiosity with Egypt's enduring cultural legacy, offering visitors a tangible glimpse into a world where light first froze stone in time.

About the Artist

Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey · 1804–1892

Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey (1804–1892), born in Langres, France, as the sole surviving child of Claude Joseph Girault and Barbe Philiberte Rosine Piétrequin, inherited the lordships of Genevrières and Prangey, adopting his full surname in 1825. After studies at Langres college and in Paris, where he earned baccalauréats in letters (1826) and law (1828), he pursued artistic training under ...