Why Was this Photo Sold at an Auction for more than $120,000?

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

---

Why Was this Photo Sold at an Auction for more than $120,000? Posted: 30 Jan 2014 The Kidron Valley and the ancient tombs carved into the Mount of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem (Christie's) Why was this picture so valuable? Because it was one of the first photographs ever taken in Jerusalem -- taken 170 years ago. The photograph was taken in 1844 by a French photographer, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey (1804 - 1898), believed to be a student of Louis Daguerre who is credited with inventing photography in 1839. The daguerreotype photos were found in a storeroom in Girault de Prangey's estate in the 1920s, but only in recent years, when libraries digitized them, did the photographs become well known. Girault de Prangey was a student of architecture and art who traveled in the Middle East between 1841 and 1844 and produced some 900 daguerreotypes. Responsible archivists and librarians digitize  the vintage photographs in their archives. Panoramic photo of Jerusalem's Old City from the southeast. (1844) Panoramic picture of Jerusalem taken from the Mt. of Olives (1844) The Smithsonian Magazine published a feature on the photos this month, based on pictures published by Retronaut - "The photographic time machine." This photo is labeled "Damascus Gate." Actually, it is the city wall just to the right of the gate. The photographer was fascinated with stonework on the shrines in the Middle East. (1844) Lions Gate of the Old City (1844) Jaffa Gate of the Old City (Christie's 1844)                      H/T: AA We found more than 200 photographs by Gerault de Prangey in the French National Library and on the websites of leading auction houses. The pictures included scenes from Jerusalem, Damascus, Cairo, and Lebanon. We present here pictures of Jerusalem from the Library's collection and from Christie's.  According to the French Library, the pictures are in the public domain. Click on pictures to enlarge.  Click on the caption to view the original picture. The following is a quotation attributed to Girault de Prangey: My long pilgrimage is coming to a close... after spending 55 days in the holy city [of Jerusalem] and its environs...I am sure you can share my natural delight in fulfilling a dream cherished since childhood.... And as I speak now of these places, how happy I am to realise that in a few months I will be able to share them with you as they are, as I bear with me their precious and unquestionably faithful trace that cannot be diminished by time or distance. For this we must thank most sincerely our compatriot Daguerre, destined to be known forever for his wondrous discovery.