This paper examines the imperialist and orientalist aesthetic of Ernst Krickl’s archaeological photography as displayed in his 1892 Lycian Journal. Employing the methodology of Michael Shanks and Stephanie Moser, I undertake a post-colonial visual analysis of the journal to contextualise it within its complex history. By looking at the aesthetic of the photographs as a window into contemporary ideologies, I find that the construction of an imperial Austrian image and an orientalist view of the Ottoman Empire underlines Krickl’s work. In my study, the aesthetic of the photographs is found to reflect the wider international, cultural and political dynamics of 19th century Austria. Finally, the Lycian journal is employed as a case study to discuss the relationship of archaeological practice with dominant ideologies.