Gezicht op Sorrento en de baai van Napels, met boom op de voorgrond 1860 - 1889

This is Roberto Rive’s photograph, “View of Sorrento and the Bay of Naples, with a Tree in the Foreground.” Rive made this albumen print in the mid-19th century, a time when photography was not just capturing images but shaping perceptions of places. Imagine being a tourist then, seeing this view of Italy. What narratives does it conjure? The picturesque framing, with that prominent tree, invites us into a specific kind of encounter with the landscape. The clarity and detail of the albumen print capture the allure of Italy, a popular destination for wealthy Europeans on the Grand Tour. But let’s think more deeply about who gets to have these experiences and whose stories are told. How does this image play into the colonial gaze, where landscapes become commodities? Perhaps the photograph’s beauty obscures the complex social realities of the time. This photograph is more than just a pretty view; it’s a window into the desires, dreams, and power dynamics of the 19th century.