Rome 1857

Elihu Vedder made this drawing of Rome in 1857. The image shows an eroded Roman archway with a heavy emphasis on the surface of the stone. This aestheticization of ruins was common at the time and reflects the taste of 19th-century European and American elites. In the 1850s, a new type of tourism emerged that focused on seeing historical sites and understanding the arc of western civilization. Rome was a common destination for these ‘Grand Tours,’ and became a popular subject of paintings, photographs, and drawings. The presence of historical sites in Rome served as a touchstone that allowed Americans and Europeans to connect with the past and define their place in a larger cultural history. Vedder was part of a community of American expatriate artists, and his work helped shape American understandings of European history. By studying Vedder’s biography and examining the historical record, we can gain insights into the complex relationship between art, tourism, and cultural identity.