Impronte Umane, Pompei (Human Cast, Pompeii) 1873

Giorgio Sommer made this albumen print, Impronte Umane, Pompei, in 1872. Sommer was one of many 19th-century photographers who captured the haunting remains of Pompeii, which was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. This photograph poignantly captures a plaster cast of a Pompeiian, made by pouring plaster into the hollow spaces left by bodies buried in volcanic ash. The figure is frozen in its final moment, a testament to the sudden and terrifying disaster that befell the city. The cast becomes an emblem of humanity’s shared vulnerability in the face of natural forces. Sommer’s photograph transforms these casts into deeply affecting portraits. The image invites reflection on mortality, loss, and the fleeting nature of human existence. It compels us to consider how we remember and represent catastrophic events, and the ethical dimensions of displaying such intimate, tragic remains.