Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem 1849

This watercolour rendering of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem was made by David Roberts, an accomplished Scottish painter, known for his detailed architectural studies. Roberts used watercolour on paper. As a painting medium, watercolour is lauded for its fluidity and luminosity, and Roberts used it to great effect, capturing the play of light and shadow on the church's facade. Yet we must also remember paper’s role in a broader political economy. It was a mass-produced material, made affordable by industrialized processes. His light touch belies this fact, but remember that the proliferation of images like this one was tied to wider social issues of labor and consumption. Ultimately, Roberts' choice of materials and process underscores the cultural significance of his subject, inviting viewers to contemplate the intersection of faith, history, and human ingenuity, and to see this as part of an industrialized world.