N 512 Catacomben del cappuccini c. 1893 - 1903

Giuseppe Incorpora made this albumen print of the Catacombs of the Capuchins in Palermo, Italy, sometime in the late 19th century. The image depicts a long corridor filled with open coffins and mummified bodies, a chilling vision of death and afterlife. The Capuchin monastery, with its catacombs, occupies a significant place in the social and cultural history of Palermo. While initially intended for the monks, the catacombs gradually became a status symbol for the local elite who wished to be preserved and displayed after death. The practice reflects a complex relationship with mortality and the desire to maintain social identity beyond the grave. Incorpora’s photograph, with its stark realism, raises questions about the public role of such imagery. Is it a memento mori, a reflection on the transience of life, or does it speak to the social hierarchies perpetuated even in death? Historians consult a range of sources—from burial records to anthropological studies—to understand the catacombs and their cultural significance.