Gezicht op de tempel van Saturnus op het Forum Romanum, Rome c. 1858 - 1863

Auguste-Rosalie Bisson captured this albumen print of the Temple of Saturn at the Roman Forum, presenting a scene where classical grandeur meets the encroachments of time. The photograph is structured around the temple's imposing columns, their verticality contrasting with the horizontal stretch of the remaining entablature. Bisson uses a monochromatic palette, rich in sepia tones, which adds a sense of antiquity and decay. The composition balances the architectural ruins with the more modern buildings in the background, creating a visual dialogue between past and present. Considered semiotically, the ruins function as signs of a lost empire, prompting reflection on history's transient nature. The photograph does not merely document a historical site, but engages with themes of memory, ruin, and the layering of time. It invites us to ponder the interplay between what remains and what has been irrevocably lost.