The image shows an ancient ruin from a slightly elevated point of view. The horizon is high in the image and merges with an uneven stone wall stretching across the scene. The photo is monochromatic with a sepia tone, dominated by rich browns and soft beiges, highlighting stone textures and sparse grass. Large stones and rubble are scattered around, with two individuals dressed in period attire interacting amongst the ruins. In the distance, rocky and overgrown terrain climbs towards dilapidated structures blending with the sky. The scene hints at historical intrigue and the passage of time.
Read the visual description

The image shows an ancient ruin from a slightly elevated point of view. The horizon is high in the image and merges with an uneven stone wall stretching across the scene. The photo is monochromatic with a sepia tone, dominated by rich browns and soft beiges, highlighting stone textures and sparse grass. Large stones and rubble are scattered around, with two individuals dressed in period attire interacting amongst the ruins. In the distance, rocky and overgrown terrain climbs towards dilapidated structures blending with the sky. The scene hints at historical intrigue and the passage of time.

National Gallery of Art · Photograph

Amphitheatre at Taormina

George Wilson Bridges

Date
1846
Medium
salted paper print
Dimensions
image: 16.8 × 21.5 cm (6 5/8 × 8 7/16 in.) mount: 18.6 × 22.8 cm (7 5/16 × 9 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Accession number
2018.7.19
Credit line
Purchased as the Gift of the Richard King Mellon Foundation
Time span
1826 to 1850
Department
CPH

Subjects and terms

  • British
  • salted paper print
  • travel
  • genre
  • Theater
  • Taormina
Provenance

(Hans P. Kraus, Jr., New York); (Charles Isaacs Photographs, Inc., New York), 1996; NGA purchase, 2018.

Inscription

by artist, inscribed into negative, lower left corner: Taormina / The Amphiteatre; lower right corner: Bridges; on verso, by unknown hand, lower right corner in black ink: LA410; lower left corner in graphite: X2711

NGA object ID 212190. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.