The Parthenon

c. 1907–20

The Parthenon, c. 1907–20. Frédéric Boissonnas (Swiss, 1858–1944). Mammoth carbon print; image: 40 x 57.8 cm (15 3/4 x 22 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg 2021.56 Originally dedicated to the ancient Greek goddess Athena, this building—which still stands today—was completed in 438 B.C. Frédéric Boissonas was a Swiss photographer who amassed enough images on several trips to Greece to publish 14 photo albums on its landscape and archeological sites. The Greek government used his images to attract tourists and raise the country’s image abroad. In the early Middle Ages, this Greek temple became a church and in the 1400s, a mosque.