Zuil van Trajanus in Rome 1861 - 1878

This is a stereo card of Trajan's Column in Rome, created by Ernest Eléonor Pierre Lamy, sometime in the late 19th century. The card would have been viewed through a special viewer, creating a vivid three-dimensional impression. But let's consider the material and process of this image. A stereo card like this depended on the mass production of photography, and a burgeoning tourist industry. It was a relatively affordable way for people to experience the world from the comfort of their homes. This suggests a democratization of culture, even if the experience was mediated through a lens of commercial exchange. The image itself captures a monument of power, the Column, now standing amid ruins. This interplay of past and present, grandeur and decay, reflects shifting social dynamics, as new industries and cultural forms overtook older ones. It reminds us that even the most imposing structures are subject to time and to changing economic and social realities.