Restanten van het huis van Meleagro te Pompeï 1864 - 1881

Giacomo Brogi captured this albumen print of the remnants of the House of Meleagro in Pompeii sometime in the mid-19th century. Though Brogi was a master of photography, his work here reminds us of the immense labor involved in classical architecture. Look at the fluted columns, each painstakingly carved from stone, and the way the light catches the uneven surfaces, eroded by time and volcanic ash. The image invites us to consider the social context of Pompeii, a city built on the backs of enslaved people, whose labor made possible the opulent lifestyles of the Roman elite. Brogi's photograph, itself a product of industrial chemistry, invites us to reflect on the passage of time and the enduring power of human creativity. It also makes us think about the socio-economic circumstances which allowed for these columns to be created, and later memorialized through the new medium of photography. It challenges us to think about the relationship between art, labor, and the enduring legacy of the past.