Gezicht op de boog van Septimius Severus bij Lambaesis in Algerije before 1894

Curator: Before us, we have an image entitled 'Gezicht op de boog van Septimius Severus bij Lambaesis in Algerije'—'View of the Arch of Septimius Severus at Lambaesis in Algeria'. This print dates from before 1894 and is a photographic cityscape, the artist remains anonymous. What are your first thoughts? Editor: Strikingly desolate. The monument seems caught between presence and erasure, a tangible weight represented in fading monochrome, almost ghostly. It’s more of a document, a witness to a structure worn away with the material impact of history and the elements. Curator: Yes, consider the symbolic power this arch once held, a testament to Roman imperial authority. Now, the image primarily evokes ruin, the relentless march of time, and loss. The arch was a gateway, now just a fragment standing forlornly against the skyline, stripped bare, echoing vanished glories. Editor: And what of the labour involved in constructing such a monumental structure, hauled from quarries perhaps hundreds of miles away? The economics! It begs the question of how power is manifested, isn't it? Built to proclaim empire and lasting domination, now crumbling back to earth, joining the very ground from which its stones were sourced. The image captures this cyclical journey from ambition to obsolescence. Curator: Indeed, the arch's function has shifted entirely. Where once it represented control, its tattered state reminds us of fragility and transition. It becomes a potent memento mori. The artist frames our attention toward absence rather than glory. A message reinforced by the quiet emptiness surrounding the stones. Editor: Absolutely. And to think of the photographer at work! Packing heavy equipment to capture this far-flung subject, motivated to document Roman colonial remains. Consider that process, that consumption, the social network enmeshed in its photographic reproduction as a print. Its status, displayed in an album. Curator: Very valid points, I found myself drifting back into the symbolic impact and you drew me into its actual formation. How history lives within a physical space. It’s fascinating to observe from these different angles. Editor: Agreed, a dialogue between echoes of power and traces of physical, material transience, always grounded within shifting social forces.