Egypt, circa 1860
by Wilhelm Hammerschmidt

During the 19th century, there existed a growing fascination with the romance of the Near East. Wilhelm Hammerschmidt captured the essence of this romance with his image of the Great Sphinx, buried to its shoulders in the sand, majestically standing guard before the tomb of Kahfre. The Egyptians pictured around the Sphinx in the scene give scale to the vastness of the ruins as well as provide a bit of local color for travelers who purchased photos such as this from Hammerschmidt’s studio in Cario.