Fountaine de la Sophie, Constantinople

About the Artwork

Arriving in Istanbul (then Constantinople) in 1852, Ernest de Caranza, a French factory engineer, took many photographs during his extensive travels on scientific missions throughout the Asiatic part of the Ottoman Empire. Self-taught as a photographer, he relied on the waxed paper negative process, created his own materials, and formulated an excellent fixative which tended to gray the blacks, giving the images a remarkable transparency in the shadows. In this charming view, he described the surrounding streetscape while concentrating on the distinctive, ancient architecture of the centrally positioned building. His beautifully descriptive photographs helped to shape Westerners' understanding of this historic city.

Inscriptions

printed into the image on recto: "E. Caranza/ gallipoli juin / 1854" "24"

Exhibition history

Signs of Life: Recent Photography Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 2003-April 7, 2004).

Quick Overview

Artist: Ernest de Caranza (French, 1837–1863)
Date: c. 1854
Medium: salted paper print from paper negative
Dimensions: Image: 16.8 x 23.3 cm (6 5/8 x 9 3/16 in.); Matted: 40.6 x 50.8 cm (16 x 20 in.)
Type: Photograph
Classification: Photograph
Department: Photography
Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
Accession no.: 2001.148

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.