Strada di Sallustio, Pompei (Street of Sallustio, Pompeii) c. 1870

Giorgio Sommer made this photograph of the Strada di Sallustio in Pompei using the collodion process, a popular method in the mid-19th century. This involved coating a glass plate with a light-sensitive chemical, then exposing it in the camera while still wet. Consider the labor involved: quarrying the stone for the road, shaping the bricks for the buildings, and, of course, the work of the photographer. Sommer made a business out of documenting the ruins of Pompei for tourists, catering to a growing interest in classical antiquity. The textural details of the ruined architecture and the rough-hewn stones of the road are emphasized by the sharp focus of the photographic process. By focusing on the tangible aspects of the scene – the arrangement of stones, the decay of brick, and the distant view of Mount Vesuvius – Sommer's photograph bridges the gap between the art of photography and the material reality of a city frozen in time, reminding us of the social and economic processes that shaped both Pompei and its rediscovery.