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Secondary sourcePhotograph1851-1852, printed 1853-1854

Pyramid of Cheops (Great Pyramid)

Félix Teynard · 1851-1852, printed 1853-1854

A mid-nineteenth-century photograph of the Great Pyramid, the monumental tomb built for the pharaoh Khufu.

Documents the Great Pyramid, the burial monument Khufu commissioned for himself.

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Sepia-toned photograph of the Great Pyramid of Giza rising at center against a pale sky, its stone faces stepped and weathered, with sandy ground and low dunes in the foreground.
Félix Teynard, 'Djîzeh (Nécropole de Memphis), Pyramide de Chéops (Grande Pyramide)', 1851–52, printed 1853–54. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This salted paper photograph was taken by the French photographer Félix Teynard in 1851–52 and printed in 1853–54. It shows the Great Pyramid of Giza, labelled in its original caption as part of the 'Nécropole de Memphis'. The print belongs to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

The Great Pyramid was built for Khufu, a Fourth Dynasty pharaoh, as his burial monument. Teynard's photograph is one of many nineteenth-century images that helped introduce European audiences to ancient Egyptian monuments through the new medium of photography, long after the pyramid's construction. It shows how Khufu's legacy endured visually across thousands of years.

Look closer

  • What details of the pyramid's surface can you make out in this photograph?
  • Why might photographers of this period have traveled to Egypt to capture images like this?
  • What does this photograph not tell us about who actually built the pyramid or how?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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A large limestone pyramid with a smooth-edged stepped outer surface rises against a clear blue sky over pale desert sand. Small figures stand at the lower left, and rubble and low stone blocks lie at its base.Artifact

Primary source

Great Pyramid of Giza

c. 2560 BCE

Vintage postcard showing the Great Pyramid of Giza in grey tones against a pale sky, with a large dark tree in front, two palm trees at left, a camel and rider at lower left, and the caption 'La Grande Pyramide Cheops'. Handwriting and a stamp are on the right.Photograph

Secondary source

La Grande Pyramide Cheops

1903

A small ivory statuette of a seated figure wearing a tall royal crown, with hands resting on the lap, on a clear acrylic base set against a blue cloth. Dark encrusted patches mark the chest and arm.Sculpture

Primary source

Khufu Statuette

c. 2600–2494 BCE (possibly later, 664–525 BCE)

Sepia albumen photograph of the Giza pyramids of Cheops and Chephren, with the Sphinx and the Valley Temple ruins in the foreground, and robed men with camels standing to the right. Caption printed in white script along the bottom.Photograph

Secondary source

Pyramids of Cheops and Chephren and the Sphinx at Giza

The Khufu ship, a large ancient Egyptian wooden solar barque displayed in a museum gallery. Its long hull is supported by a criss-crossed framework of metal and wooden struts, and visitors stand along the walkways and balconies around it under a curved, illuminated ceiling.Artifact

Primary source

Khufu ship

Royal shipwrights of Khufu · c. 2566 BCE

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