Engraving of the first photograph of the Parthenon. Daguerreotype photograph taken by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre-Gustave_Joly_de_Lotbini%C3%A8re" class="extiw" title="en:Pierre-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière">Pierre-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière</a> in October, 1839. Engraved by Frédéric Martens. Published in <i>Excursions daguerriennes</i> by Noël Paymal Lerebours in 1841.<br><br>Excerpts from the accompanying text, written by Pierre-Gustave Joly, published in <i>Excursions daguerriennes</i> (this text is in the public domain, like the image):<br>"This view was taken in the autumn of 1839 ; I mention it, because it is the first time that the image of the Parthenon is fixed on a plate by the ingenious method of Daguerre, and because each year could bring new changes to the look of those famous ruins: a catastrophe could collapse them tomorrow, or a friendly and generous hand could raise those marbles scattered on the ground, and restore into an imposing whole what was the most beautiful of temples. [...] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon#Islamic_mosque" class="extiw" title="en:Parthenon">A mosque occupies a part of the interior</a>, it is now used to store the precious debris found during the excavations of the Acropolis. Once, there had been a gunpowder magazine on the same spot, it caused, when it exploded, the collapse of a large part of the temple. On the columns, many white spots can be seen, they are chips of marble removed by bullets and cannonballs during the last war."
Photographer: <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gaspard-Pierre-Gustave_Joly_de_Lotbini%C3%A8re&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Gaspard-Pierre-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière (page does not exist)">Pierre-Gustave Joly</a> (1798-1865)<br>Engraver: Frédéric Martens (1806-1885)
Photograph: October 1839. Engraving: 1841.
Uploaded by <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Mireime&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="User:Mireime (page does not exist)">Mireime</a>