The world’s first travel photographs were made in Egypt by French writer and photographer Maxime Du Camp during an 1849 trip to Egypt with Gustav Flaubert (who hadn’t as of then written Madame Bovary). In between bouts of debauchery and being arrested as spies (potted summary here), the two “sailed down the Nile on a “cange” or small boat, with a crew that would have frightened even Jack Sparrow” and produced “hundreds of photographs that captured, for the first time, some of the great manmade wonders of the ancient world.” The images caused a sensation in France when published under the title “Egypte, Nubie, Palestine, Syrie” in 1852. Fifty nine of the original 125 prints Du Camp made are now up for sale and fetched a paltry USD 12,390 at auction. The items were sold by a South African dealer in rare books. Check out the official page for the auction or head over to Business Insider, which has a selection of the images for your viewing pleasure.