A View of Israel: The 19th Century

In a recent auction at Sotheby's London, a fascinating collection of some of the earliest photographs taken of the Holy Land sold for an awe-inspiring £1,000,000.

One of the earliest images showing Jews praying at the Western Wall (photo credit: BONFILS)
One of the earliest images showing Jews praying at the Western Wall
(photo credit: BONFILS)
The collection includes roughly 1,000 images taken by world renowned photographers and was amassed by an individual with an interest in the area. Showcasing monuments such as Mount Zion, the Western Wall, Al-Asqa Mosque and a Jewish cemetery as well as people living in the area, the images provide a reflection of what life was like in the mid 1800's. 
Taken in the 1860s, this is one of the first ever images taken of the Sea of Galilee 
People from the area in the 1860s
Jerusalem in the 1850s
People from the area in the 1860s