French engineer Felix Teynard devoted part of his life to photography. In 1851–1852 he traveled to Egypt and Nubia, where he took a series of photographs that captured the ruins of ancient structures. Returning to Europe, Teinar produced a collection of images sold as souvenirs.
The photographer did not care how accurately he would convey through the image what the surrounding reality looks like. He liked to play with contrasts, using natural light to show the depth of the shadows. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a large collection of Teinard's photographs, some of which have been listed at auctions such as Christie's and have been valued at tens of thousands of dollars.
One of the photos shows Abu Simbel - an archaeological site in the rock. Here are carved temples from the reign of Ramses II. It may seem strange that Teinard decided to cut off the head in the picture, leaving only the lower part of the colossus' face. As the photographer himself noted, this was done in order to avoid distortion, since the point where he was at that moment was too low.
Another photograph shows the Beni Hasan necropolis built during the Old and Middle Kingdoms. Teinar's favorite play of light and shadow is noticeable here. Near one of the columns stands a cane with a curved handle, which makes it possible to imagine the size of the building.
Some of the photographs clearly show Teinard's professional interest in engineering and architecture.
