Interior of a Roman Inn 1817

Bartolomeo Pinelli made this watercolor and graphite drawing, Interior of a Roman Inn, sometime in the early 19th century. Note how he uses layered washes of color to suggest the light and atmosphere of the scene. Pinelli made countless images like this one, which were then reproduced as prints for sale to tourists. In this way, he can be considered a proto-industrial artist; his watercolors were the raw material for an image-making industry. The scene depicts everyday life, with its cast of characters, from musicians to pipe smokers. Pinelli made a career representing the lives of ordinary Romans. The point, though, is not just the subject matter, but the way the image was put to work. It entered a market for picturesque imagery, alongside souvenirs and other material culture consumed by travelers. So, while this watercolor may seem worlds away from our contemporary moment, it is in fact part of the deep history of the culture industry.