OC 012 · Photograph · Africa

The Great Pyramid, photographed in 1849

A faded brown photograph of the Great Pyramid seen from one corner, its stepped sides rising from the sand
Photo: Maxime Du Camp, The Met, CC0, via The Met Open Access.
Number on this site
OC 012
What it is
Photograph
Made
December 1849
Made by
Maxime Du Camp
Material
Salted paper print from a paper negative
Size
16.2 × 21.8 cm
Now held by
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Museum number
2005.100.376.18

The Great Pyramid of Khufu, seen from its south-east corner, in a photograph taken more than 4,000 years after the pyramid was built.1,2

Where it sits in human time

Made about 180 years ago. On this strip, each step to the right is ten times closer to today.

300,000 years ago10,0003,0001,000100nowThe Great Pyramid, photographed in 1849

Seen in

Filed under

Sources for this page

Every number on this page comes from one of these. How we check.

Last reviewed 12 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

  1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Maxime Du Camp, Vue de la grande pyramide (Chéops) prise à l’angle S.E., December 1849. Collection record 287082, Open Access (CC0). www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/287082Used for: A photograph of the Great Pyramid taken in December 1849. Checked 12 November 2026.
  2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Relief fragment with king Khufu’s cattle. Dynasty 4, reign of Khufu, ca. 2551–2528 BC. Collection record 543890, Open Access (CC0). www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/543890Used for: The dates of Khufu’s reign, and a block from his time reused at Lisht. Checked 12 November 2026.