Plein met een fontein en flanerende mensen in Napels c. 1880 - 1900

Curator: "Plein met een fontein en flanerende mensen in Napels," by Giorgio Sommer, circa 1880-1900. It’s a photograph depicting a bustling square. It looks like an albumen print, based on the sepia tones. The detail is amazing. What strikes you about it? Editor: Well, immediately I think about how laborious photography was at that time! What materials were being used? I also can’t help but notice the rigid class structure that's being reinforced here. I'm curious – what kind of labor would have been involved in its production and how did it affect the representation of Naples? Curator: Precisely! Think about the labor of sourcing the albumen from eggs to create the printing paper. Consider also, that because it was not mass produced and readily available, owning a photograph implied a certain level of wealth and status. How might this status affect how we understand the subject of the photograph? Editor: Good point! Maybe Sommer focused on capturing this leisure scene as a product to sell to upper class patrons, creating an almost Orientalist image of Naples for a specific market and reflecting the social hierarchies in play? Curator: Yes, think about how that feeds into a narrative of the picturesque "other." How does Sommer’s technique and presentation then commodify this scene for consumption by a specific audience, reinforcing their own positions? Editor: So it's not just a record of a place, but a crafted object meant for specific consumption! Thinking about the albumen print and the implied status helps unravel the socio-economic layers embedded in what seems like a simple city scene. Thanks, I’m already thinking differently about landscape photography!