210. Baalbec. 1844. G.[ran]d Temple. Colonnade.

All that remains of the magnificent colonnade of the Temple of Jupiter, these plain granite columns serve as a powerful reminder of the grandeur of the Roman Empire. This architectural relic has inspired generations of artists and writers. Gustave Flaubert, who visited the site with Maxime Du Camp a few years later, was inspired to write "Quant au temple de Baalbeck, je ne croyais pas qu'on put être amoureux d'une colonnade."

This is the only daguerreotype in the archive to show a close-up view of this subject.