Gezicht op watervallen bij Tivoli c. 1870 - 1890

Giorgio Sommer produced this photograph of the waterfalls near Tivoli, Italy, sometime in the mid-19th century. This was the time when photography was booming, with the invention of affordable processes such as the carte-de-visite and photographs being mass produced for the first time. Sommer was a German photographer who established a studio in Naples, and sold photographs like this as souvenirs to tourists visiting Italy on the Grand Tour. These commercially produced images were often staged and posed, using the conventions of landscape painting to appeal to the tastes of the time. The romantic depiction of nature, combined with the remnants of classical architecture, speaks to a longing for a simpler, more picturesque past. Understanding the social function of images like this requires us to look at a range of historical materials, including tourist guides, postcards, and the photographer's business records. This contextual approach can reveal how photography contributed to shaping perceptions of Italy in the 19th century.