The caption accompanying this 1903 illustration in Gaston Maspero’s book on History of Egypt reads: “Ferdinand de Lesseps.” Ferdinand Marie, vicomte de Lesseps (died 1894)  was a French diplomat and later developer of the Suez Canal, which in 1869 joined the Mediterranean and Red Seas, substantially reducing sailing distances and times between Europe and East Asia.

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Keywords: 1800s, 1860s, 1880s, 19th, building, canal, century, construction, de, delessups, developer, ferdinand, french, history, lessups, panama, suez