Gezicht op het Amfitheater van Arles 1864

Edouard Baldus captured this stereoscopic image of the Amphitheater of Arles using albumen silver print. Baldus, active during a period of significant social change in France, documented historical landmarks. Consider the implications of photographing architecture designed by the Roman Empire. What did it mean for Baldus, as a white European man in the 19th century, to turn his lens toward the remnants of a civilization that had once held sway over the land he inhabited? The amphitheater, originally a site of spectacle and public gathering, silently embodies the power dynamics of ancient Rome, where enslaved peoples and animals faced brutal ends for entertainment. The photograph invites reflection on the layers of history embedded within this structure. As viewers, we are confronted with questions about our relationship to history. In whose interest is it to gaze upon these ruins?