Rialtobrug over het Canal Grande te Venetië 1868 - 1882

Curator: This is a captivating albumen print by Carlo Naya, capturing the Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal in Venice, likely taken between 1868 and 1882. Editor: Wow, it feels like stepping back in time. The soft sepia tones give it such a dreamy, almost melancholic quality. Curator: Indeed. Naya’s work allows us to examine how photography, still a relatively new medium, documented and shaped perceptions of urban spaces in the 19th century, particularly in cities undergoing rapid transformation due to industrialization and tourism. Venice, of course, occupied a unique position here, often romanticized as a timeless city. Editor: You know, looking at this gondola in the foreground, I almost feel like I could hop right in and glide down the canal. The water looks so still, like glass reflecting all the history above. It is just breathtaking, makes you think about all those stories on the water under that bridge, all of that wealth. Curator: Right, and if we consider the socio-economic dynamics at play, we can see that Venice, while a subject of aesthetic appreciation, was also a city marked by stark class divisions. The gondolas, often symbols of luxury, coexist with the realities of everyday life for the Venetian working class, captured less often, but ever present. Naya, as a commercial photographer, largely catered to the tourist gaze, but his images offer glimpses, albeit curated, into the urban fabric. Editor: It is interesting how this shot creates such a separation. You can almost feel a world between what is going on the boat and what is happening up there. Even though they are sharing the water, they are on opposite planes of reality. It gives me the chills almost! Curator: Absolutely. Thinking about the role of visual media in constructing and reinforcing social hierarchies remains critical when engaging with photographs like this. They invite us to question whose stories are being told and whose are being obscured. Editor: It makes me want to explore Venice beyond the postcard image, beyond the bridge even. Thanks, that was incredible.