Browse the Collection

The Galata Tower seen looking northeast past a burial ground. A portion of the old city wall is visible leading toward the tower on the right.

The Fountain of Ahmed III as seen facing southeast and looking away from the gates of the Topkapı Palace in Constantinople (Istanbul).

A view of the Golden Horn (left) and the Bosporus Strait from the top of the Beyazit (Seraskier) Tower. In the center, the Yeni Cami (New Mosque) is visible just to the right of the Galata Bridge.

A view across the city of Athens looking northeast towards Mount Lycabettus from the Acropolis.

The remains of the Olympeion, or the Temple of Olympian Zeus, looking northwest towards the Acropolis (background), and the Parthenon.

The Partheon as seen looking southeast. The Parthenon sits atop the Athenian Acropolis and was dedicated to Athena Parthenos.

The Erechtheion as seen looking west. On the left side is the Porch of the Maidens (or Caryatid Porch).

The ruins of the Corinthian style colonade of the Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek looking south, with the Temple of Bacchus, mistakenly identified as a temple to Helios, the sun god, in the background.

A view of the city of Jerusalem taken from the Mount of Olives. In the background on the right, the Dome of the Rock can be seen.

A view of the northern side of the Temple Mount, looking south, featuring the Dome of the Rock in the upper left corner with the Dome of the Chain to the left. The dome of the Al-Aqsa Mosque is visible in the background with the Minaret al-Facharíja to its right in the far background.

Summary: A selection of Francis Bedford's photographs taken during his accompaniment of the Prince of Wales during his tour of Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Ottoman Turkey, and Greece in 1862. The photographs are accompanied by explanatory text, giving context for each of the sites and scenes displayed. The volume was published following a formal exhibition of Bedford's photographs in an effort to meet popular demand for Bedford's work.

His Royal Highness Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward VII of England, and his retinue, including local guides, riding camels and posed before the Pyramids of Giza. The photo is angled looking southwest and shows the Great Pyramid (Pyramid of Khufu) with the Pyramid of Khafre behind and to the left.

A view of the city of Cairo taken looking northwest from the Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha within the Citadel of Saladin towards the Mosque of Sultan Hassan across Salah al-Din Square. The photo features the courtyard (sahn) and clocktower of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha in the foreground.

A fountain used for washing hands, face, and feet before prayers, situated in the Mosque of Sultan Hassan in Cairo.

The mausoleum and khanquah of Emir Qawsun taken looking north towards the Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

The partially excavated Sphinx taken looking northwest towards the Great Pyramid (Pyramid of Khufu) with two of the subsidary pyramids visible to the right. Several figures sit on the chest/shoulder of the Sphinx while others look on, one minding a camel.

The colonade of the mammisi (birth house), a small interior temple dedicated to the infant Horus, built alongside the Temple of Isis at Philae. The columns feature varied vegetation designs and Hathor-headed capitals. The spaces in between each column are decorated with carved, decorative reliefs, dating at their earliest to the reign of Ptolemy III, with later additions during the reigns of Ptolemy VIII and Ptolemy XII, and the Roman period.

A view of the Temple of Hathor (bottom left) and Trajan's Kiosk (right), also known as the Pharaoh's bed, looking southeast on the island of Philae.

The main gateway, the first pylon, of the Temple of Horus and Hathor at Idfū (Edfu), decorated with reliefs depicting Ptolemy XII defeating his enemies in the presence of Horus and Hathor. Through the entryway, the entrance to the hypostyle vestibule can be seen through the open center of the Court of Offerings.

A view of a pair of colossal statues depicting Amenhotep III which flank the entrance to the ruins of the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III at the Theban Necropolis looking north. Inscriptions in Greek and Latin associate these statues with the mythological king Memnon, giving them their common name. A group of people in Egyptian dress are gathered around the base of the statues.

A view of the first pylon leading into the temple at Luxor (Thebes) looking south. A pair of partially exposed statues depicting Ramesses II flank the entrance. Reliefs are carved into the walls of the pylon depicting Ramesses II in battle. Through the gap in the pylon, the minaret of the Abu Haggag Mosque which was established in 640 in a part of the temple previously converted into a Roman church in 395.