John Beasley Greene facts for kids

The Sphinx by Egyptologist and photographer John Beasley Greene, around 1853

John Beasley Greene (born in 1832, died in November 1856) was a French-American Egyptologist. This means he studied Ancient Egypt. He was also one of the first people to use photography to document archaeological sites. Sadly, he passed away at only 24 years old. Because he died so young, his amazing work was forgotten for a long time. People only started studying his photos seriously in 1981.

Biography

John Beasley Greene was born in Le Havre, France. His father was an American banker. John later lived in Paris.

He loved two things very much: the new technology of photography and discovering Ancient Egypt. He learned a special way of taking photos called the "waxed paper negative process." He learned this from a famous photographer named Gustave Le Gray.

After his father died in 1850, John had enough money to travel. He made his first trip to Egypt in 1854.

He helped start a group called the Société française de photographie (French Photography Society) in 1854. That same year, he published a book of his photos from Egypt. It was called Le Nil: monuments, paysages, explorations photographiques. This means "The Nile: monuments, landscapes, photographic explorations."

John went on a second trip in late 1855 and early 1856. This time, he went to Algeria. There, he photographed the digging at the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania. This work was led by Louis-Adrien Berbrugger.

John Beasley Greene sadly passed away in Cairo, Egypt. He was only 24 years old. He might have died from a sickness called tuberculosis.

Gallery

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  Ramses II (around 1853)

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  Excavations near the Sphinx (1853)

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  Médinet-Habou, Palace of Ramses Méïamoun, Entrance to the Second Courtyard (1854)

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  Thebes, Ghezireh Village (1853-1853)

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  Constantine, Algeria (around 1855)

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  El-Ourit Waterfall, Tlemcen, Algeria (1856)

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  Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania (1856)

His Legacy

John Beasley Greene's photos are now shown in important museums around the world.

Where You Can See His Work

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art had a special show about his photos. It was called "Signs and Wonders: The Photographs of John Beasley Greene." This exhibition ran from August 31, 2019, to January 5, 2020.

His photographs are also part of the collections at these places:

• Bibliothèque de l'institut
• Cabinet des estampes de la BNF
• Smithsonian American Art Museum
• Musée de l'Élysée, Lausanne
• George Eastman House
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
• Art Institute of Chicago