Ponte Rotto, Rome. Artist: Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey (French, 1804-1892). Dimensions: Image: 3 3/4 × 9 7/16 in. (9.5 × 24 cm). Date: 1842.An artist and historian of Islamic architecture, Girault de Prangey first learned the daguerreotype process in 1841 in his native Langres, France. A year later he embarked on a two-year voyage to study major archaeological sites in the Mediterranean and Near East, producing in the process some of the earliest known photographs of Italy. Working without an established photographic repertoire upon which to base his compositions, his approach was unique. He used oversize, full-plate daguerreotypes of 7 ½ x 9 ½ inches, frequently cutting them in half to produce narrow horizontal panoramas or vertical compositions that echo the profiles of architectural forms, as in this example of the so-called Ponte Rotto (or "broken bridge") crossing the Tiber. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.