Fotoreproductie van een tekening van de Catacomben van Rome 1851 - 1877

This photographic reproduction of a drawing of the Catacombs of Rome was made by the Anderson firm, though we don't know exactly when. The Catacombs, with their stacked loculi—burial niches—and frescoed walls, are an amazing feat of material culture. Think of the physical labor involved in the original creation of the Catacombs. The tufa bedrock was excavated with picks and shovels. Each body was carefully placed in its final resting place, then sealed. The work required a whole community, a society of laborers. This image collapses two kinds of making into one: the ancient carving of the Catacombs, and the 19th-century labor of the Anderson firm, who were part of a wave of photographers producing images like this for sale to tourists. This print offers us an opportunity to consider the relationship between original creation, reproduction, labor, and consumption. It challenges us to see how historical techniques, materials, and social context are interconnected.