949 - Unknown (19th), Columbarium of the Emperors, Rome, around 1880, albumen paper print

Unknown (19th), Columbarium of the Emperors, Rome, around 1880, albumen paper print Unknown (19th century): Columbarium of the Emperors at Porta S Sebastiano, Rome, c. 1880, albumen paper print Technique: albumen paper print Inscription: At the lower part inscribed in the printing plate: "194. Roma - Colombario dei Liberti dei Cesari nella Vigna Codini. presso Porta S. Sebastiano (V e VI Secolo).". Date: c. 1880 Description: Original photograph with high sharpness of detail. An early testimony of travel photography. Around the middle of the 19th century, more and more tourists from middle-class circles travelled to Italy. At that time, photographs could only be taken with a great deal of time and expensive, unwieldy equipment. This made many tourists all the more grateful for the work of the professional photographer's studios on site to bring back a souvenir from afar for those who stayed at home or to collect as souvenirs. Famous photographers such as Carlo Naya, Giorgio Sommer or the Alinari brothers photographed the most famous sights of their home cities and went on journeys themselves to photograph the most popular destinations of their clients and offer them as albumen prints. Ancient art treasures were also photographed and offered to travellers. The high-quality photographs of sculptures and frescoes continued to make an important contribution to documenting art treasures and making them accessible to scholars from all over Europe, who previously had to rely on tracings or engravings if they could not view the original for themselves. Keywords: Travel photography, souvenir, veduta, view, architectural photography, Italy, Campagna Romana, crypt, catacomb, tomb, 19th century, Historicism, Architecture, Italy, Rome (Latium), Size: Albumen paper: 19,5 cm x 25,3 cm (7,7 x 10 in) Condition: Rather good condition. In the corners clear impressions of an old mounting. Slightly browned along the upper edge. Faint light damage along the lateral edges.