Arch of the Silversmiths

Art Historical Context

Robert MacPherson’s “Arch of the Silversmiths,” created around 1857, offers a striking glimpse of ancient Rome through the lens of early photography. As part of his series “Photographs of Views of Rome,” this albumen print captures the ornate Arch of the Silversmiths, a second-century monument honoring Emperor Septimius Severus and his family. MacPherson, a Scottish physician-turned-photographer, produced the image using the albumen process, which coated paper with egg-white emulsion to achieve remarkable sharpness and rich tonal detail—qualities that made it the dominant photographic medium of the mid-nineteenth century. The photograph reflects the era’s fascination with classical antiquity and the growing accessibility of travel documentation. Visitors to Rome during this period often sought visual souvenirs of its ruins, and MacPherson’s large-format views catered to both tourists and scholars. By framing the arch with careful attention to light and texture, he transformed an architectural record into a work of artistic merit, preserving the monument’s weathered surfaces and sculptural reliefs for audiences far beyond Italy. Today housed in the Art Institute of Chicago’s photography collection, the print exemplifies how nineteenth-century photographers bridged art and archaeology. Its scale and clarity invite modern viewers to appreciate both the enduring presence of Rome’s ancient structures and the innovative spirit of early photographic pioneers.

About the Artist

Robert MacPherson · 1811–1872

Robert Macpherson (1811–1872) was a Scottish artist who began his career in medicine before pivoting to painting and ultimately pioneering photography in Rome. Born in the Tayside region near Edinburgh, he enrolled at the University of Edinburgh in 1831 to study medicine but left without graduating after four years. He then trained at the Royal Scottish Academy, where he exhibited portraits from 1...