Gezicht op de Dom van Milaan c. 1860 - 1865

Pompeo Pozzi captured this photograph of the Milan Cathedral, in the mid-19th century. Pozzi’s picture exists at the intersection of a changing social order and the rise of photography as a means of documenting the world. At this time, Milan was part of the Austrian Empire, a region experiencing industrial growth and social stratification. As Milan underwent rapid transformation, so too did the ways in which its identity could be recorded and shared. Photography democratized the circulation of images, and this image of the Duomo—a symbol of Milanese pride—became accessible to a wider audience than ever before. The photograph is more than a mere architectural record, it’s a point of connection between a place, its people, and their collective memories, all framed through the lens of progress.