Jérusalem, Porte de Damas, Intérieur

Auguste Salzmann|Imprimerie photographique de Blanquart-Évrard, à Lille

1854 · Salted paper print from paper negative · Photographs

This photograph of the Gate of Damascus speaks to Salzmann’s fascination with the overlapping structures, histories, and cultures he observed in Jerusalem. Erected in 1537 by the Ottoman sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, the fortress was constructed atop an earlier Roman (second century a.d.) portal to the city. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Salzmann offers no clues to help the viewer judge the scale of the structure. Its crenellated form punctuates the clear sky above, while the arched doorways lead to the desert beyond.

Artist

Auguste Salzmann|Imprimerie photographique de Blanquart-Évrard, à Lille

Date

1854

Medium

Salted paper print from paper negative

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Gilman Collection, Gift of The Howard Gilman Foundation, 2005