Torre del Mangia in Siena c. 1875 - 1890

Editor: This gelatin silver print, taken by Paolo Lombardi around 1875-1890, depicts the Torre del Mangia in Siena. The sepia tone lends a sense of antiquity, and I'm immediately drawn to the textures of the stone. What strikes you most about this photograph? Curator: Considering the materials, I find myself pondering the labor and social context of this photograph. The choice of a gelatin silver print, popular during that period, implies a certain level of industrialization in photographic production. The subject too—the fountain, situated in what looks like the public square of Siena, conveys to me how a culture’s visual icons were commodified through photographic reproduction, even then. Editor: So, are you saying that the photograph itself becomes a product reflecting the way Italian Renaissance icons were consumed? Curator: Precisely. We often focus on the artistry, and of course, there’s Lombardi’s framing to consider, but let’s not forget the materiality and its inherent social implications. How would this photograph have been distributed? Who could afford such a print? This work presents as a token for middle class consumers, suggesting travel and taste in the late nineteenth century. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered before. I was more focused on the photographic qualities, like the play of light and shadow, which seem to emphasize the architectural details. Curator: And those are important too, but think about the means of capturing that light and shadow, and the accessibility of the image, then and now. That's what reveals the underlying narrative about labor, value, and cultural consumption. Editor: It's fascinating to think about the photograph not just as a representation, but as an object with its own story about production and consumption tied to the labor and cultural economy of its time. Thanks for this new approach! Curator: My pleasure, seeing art this way reveals complex aspects of its value!