Cleveland Museum of Art

Kom Ombo

Francis Frith

Date

c. 1858

Medium

albumen print from wet collodion negative

Culture

England, 19th century

Department

Photography

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Frith often emulated the drawings of David Roberts in selecting monuments to illustrate and positions from which to shoot. Both artists encountered the temple at Kom Ombo still more than halfway buried in sand. “It reminds you of some grand old giant, buried to the shoulders,” wrote Frith, “not dead yet, but overpowered and imprisoned by some potent spell—majestic in his helplessness.” In his photographs, however, Frith cared less about emotional impact and more about the accuracy of his depictions. “A truthful record is of more value than the most elaborately beautiful picture,” he proclaimed.

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