Gezicht op het Piazza del Popolo in Rome

James Anderson made this photograph of the Piazza del Popolo in Rome sometime in the mid-19th century. Photography at this time served to document the urban environment, and was heavily reliant on the patronage of institutions and wealthy individuals. The image presents the Piazza as a carefully ordered space, dominated by the obelisk at its centre, a monument from ancient Egypt brought to Rome by Emperor Augustus. Flanking the obelisk are the Baroque churches of Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli. Here, the Catholic church presents itself as an institution of immense power, continuing a tradition of appropriating ancient symbols to reinforce its own authority. Anderson’s photograph, like much photography of the period, is complicit in the social and institutional structures of his time. Art historians look into archives and other primary source material to provide a complex understanding of the history of art, and challenge existing social norms.