Gezicht op de Zuil van de Onbevlekte Ontvangenis op het Piazza di Spagna in Rome before 1898

This is an anonymous photograph of the Column of the Immaculate Conception in the Piazza di Spagna in Rome. The column itself was erected in 1857, just a few years after Pope Pius IX declared the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception an official and required belief for Catholics. You see, this doctrine—that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was free from sin from the moment of her own conception—was highly controversial within the church. The monument therefore served as a very visible marker of triumph for a particular faction within the Catholic Church. Such photographs, like monuments, are never neutral documents. We can learn a lot about the social and political forces that shaped its production and reception. For example, examining the archives of the Vatican might reveal more about the photograph's purpose, circulation, and intended audience. By investigating the historical context, we gain a deeper understanding of the photograph's meaning and significance.