Arc de Septime Sévère, Rome
1854/55, printed 1855/65
Medium
Albumen print, from the album "Reproductions photographiques des plus beaux types d’architecture et de sculpture"
Dimensions
Image/paper: 36.8 × 44.9 cm (14 1/2 × 17 11/16 in.); Mount: 51.5 × 69.3 cm (20 5/16 × 27 5/16 in.)
Classification
albumen silver print
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
123652
Art Historical Context
Created in the mid-1850s by the French firm Bisson Frères, this striking albumen print captures the Arch of Septimius Severus, a monumental Roman structure completed in 203 CE to commemorate the emperor’s military victories. The brothers, early pioneers of architectural photography, produced the image as part of their ambitious album “Reproductions photographiques des plus beaux types d’architecture et de sculpture,” which to disseminate high-quality records of historic monuments across Europe. The albumen silver process used here allowed for rich tonal depth and fine detail on a large scale,...