Red Sea Monasteries, Egypt from Dumbarton Oaks Videos on Vimeo.
This film illustrates the Red Sea monasteries of Saint Paul and Saint Anthony in Egypt in 1930, the first official project conducted by the Byzantine Institute. It shows general exterior views of the monastery and the surrounding landscape, as well as a glimpse of Thomas Whittemore on a camel. It also illustrates local men preparing food and digging a waterway from a nearby stream.
No written records are preserved that indicate the context of the creation of this black and white film.
A letter from King Mark Topous dated April 1929 indicates that Thomas Whittemore had an interest in filming in Ethiopia. This may have led to him to experiment with moving images at the Byzantine Institute’s first fieldwork site in Egypt.
For more information about Thomas Whittemore's projects in Egypt prior to 1930s, please see photographs in the online exhibit: Before Byzantium: The Early Activities of Thomas Whittemore.