Arch of Septimus Severus c. 1857

Robert MacPherson made this photograph of the Arch of Septimius Severus in Rome using the wet collodion process. The Arch commemorates Roman military victories. Its enduring image, captured here, testifies to the power of the Roman Empire. However, MacPherson's photograph reflects a 19th-century European fascination with antiquity. Photography, then a relatively new medium, played a role in documenting and disseminating images of historical sites, thus feeding into a culture of preservation and tourism. Consider that MacPherson, an artist working within this historical context, chose this subject, framing it in a way that emphasizes its monumentality. What visual codes does he employ? How might his artistic choices reflect the social and cultural values of his time? Understanding this artwork requires looking at MacPherson's biography, the history of photography, and also the history of Rome. It’s only by drawing on these resources that we begin to understand the social conditions that shaped its creation and reception.