Gezicht op de ruïnes van Maison Citariste te Pompeï, Italië 1857 - 1875

Giorgio Sommer made this albumen print of the ruins of the Maison Citariste in Pompeii, Italy, at an unknown date. Photography in the 19th century played an important role in documenting archaeological sites like Pompeii, which had been rediscovered in the 18th century and became a popular destination for tourists and scholars. This photograph presents a romantic view of the past, with the crumbling columns and walls evoking a sense of history and decay, it also suggests the idea of the Grand Tour. The ruins themselves can be seen as a reflection on the transience of human achievement. To interpret the image more fully, we would need to consider the social and cultural context in which it was made. This could include researching the history of archaeology in Italy, the development of photography as a medium, and the rise of tourism and the cultural obsession with antiquity that drove the Grand Tour.