Photo by Francis Frith of the Temple of Khonsu at Karnak

The adoption of photographic technology in the middle of the nineteenth century was a major advancement for reproducing and preserving images of antiquities and monuments. Francis Frith was a British photographer who made a career as an entrepreneur selling his photography and the prints from his travels in the Middle East remain an important resource for researchers today. This photo shows a group of Egyptian men, boys, and two donkeys in front of the temple of Khonsu at Karnak. The monumental gateway in the center of the photograph is covered with scenes and hieroglyphic inscriptions from the Ptolemaic Period (305–30 BC). A series of Frith's photographs were assembled into this volume by R. D. Darbishire.