Drie vrouwen met takkenbossen op de rug in Amalfi c. 1870 - 1900

This photograph, "Drie vrouwen met takkenbossen op de rug in Amalfi," was taken by Giorgio Sommer. The photograph is dominated by the strong vertical lines of the women and the bundled wood they carry. These verticals create a sense of weight and burden, contrasting sharply with the horizontal lines of the architecture and the receding road. The composition divides the scene into distinct planes—the foregrounded women, the middle ground with the path and a horse cart, and a background showing a high vantage point with resting figures. Sommer uses light and shadow to emphasize the harsh realities of labor. The women’s faces are partially obscured by shadow, rendering them anonymous figures within the landscape. The structural repetition of the women, their burdens, and the stark architectural elements, functions almost as a semiotic code, conveying themes of labor, endurance, and perhaps, social stratification. The photograph captures a moment in time but also suggests deeper, ongoing societal structures.