Greene, John Beasley (1832-56), French-born American photographer who, more than other early photographers of Egyptian antiquity such as Maxime Du Camp or Félix Teynard, conceived of photography as a tool in archaeological exploration. On visits to Egypt (1852, 1854, 1855) and Algeria (1856), he conducted excavations and made photographs. His Egyptian negatives were carefully coded—I (Inscription), P (Paysage), or M (Monument). Blanquart-Évrard published 94 of them as Le Nil (1854). His 1855 photographs of a portion of his excavation at Medinet Habu must stand as the first systematic photographic record of an excavation. He belonged to the Société Française de Photographie and the Société Asiatique.
— Kathleen Howe
