Amalfi_ Seaside Promenade c. 1860 - 1870

Curator: Looking at this albumen print, titled "Amalfi Seaside Promenade" by Giorgio Sommer, dating from around 1860 to 1870 and now in the Städel Museum, the texture really grabs me. Editor: The granular feel lends this image such a dreamlike quality, don't you think? Almost like a faded memory of the Mediterranean. You can feel the sun. Curator: Indeed. The romantic landscape here speaks to the emerging tourist industry of that era. Seaside scenes like these weren't just documenting places, they were selling experiences to a European market eager to consume idyllic visions of Italy. Editor: I'm interested in how Sommer plays with the material aspects of this photograph. It’s not just about the romantic view; consider the actual albumen process. Coating that paper, exposing it to light – these steps involved real labor, affecting the tonality and details we observe. It makes you think about the darkrooms, the equipment involved, it wasn't just click and go! Curator: Precisely. Sommer’s images contributed to constructing this popular, consumable image of Italy, even influencing other artistic fields like painting and literature, you know? The boats, the buildings nestled against the mountains... it's all so deliberately composed to appeal to the Northern European gaze. Editor: And those sailing ships! Each plank, sail and rope made by hand. Imagine the local communities dependent on shipbuilding, these photographs offer an intriguing glimpse into their means of survival. We see more than just a picturesque landscape, we catch a whisper of labor. Curator: Right, and the proliferation of photography enabled new levels of accessibility. Think of the accessibility of these images versus grand landscape paintings from before the era of photography. People who had not seen such sights now had access to these images, contributing to Italy's popularity in mass media and solidifying its status as the prime location of natural beauty and romance. Editor: Exactly. This image represents how romanticism found new expression in industrial processes like photography itself, turning craft into cultural products. The commodification of beauty, so to speak! Curator: In looking at this albumen print, we witness how early photography shaped the popular conception of foreign places and spurred the development of mass culture through imagery. Editor: It’s fascinating to consider not just the end product but all of the layered labor and material elements, adding to our understanding of how we relate with our world.