Subject
The Mausoleum of Sant’Urbano in a negative of the late 1800s from the collection of the famous British archaeologist Thomas Ashby. It was in these years that the land where the tomb stood was purchased by the Lugari brothers, who carried out a series of excavation campaigns between 1880 and 1895. The image shows the rear apsidal part of the tomb and two figures sitting on the kerbs at either side of the road, paved in stone. The figure on the left is identified as Rodolfo Lanciani, while the identification of the woman on the right is uncertain: since the American archaeologist Ester Boise van Deman did not arrive in Rome until a few years later, this may be one of the two Bulwer sisters, Agnes or Dora Ellinor, both skilled photographers.
Ashby Collection Accession number – TA[PHP]-0391
Gelatin silver salt negative
1895 (January)
Placement
British School at Rome
Credits
British School at Roma (BSR), Ashby Collection – TA[PHP]-0391
