The item presented here is an antique tin box with a photo of Pope Pius IX on the cover and several different sites of Rome, including Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Pantheon, inside the tin.

The souvenir was issued during the pontificate of Pope Pius IX who reigned from 1846 to 1878.  The Collection has several souvenir items from different pontificates that depict the changing historical times.  This particular one emphasizes the glory of Rome’s past as well as the acknowledgment of the Vatican’s centrality given the Pope’s image on the cover.