Station van de tandradbaan op de Vesuvius, Italië 1857 - 1914

Giorgio Sommer made this photograph of the Vesuvius cog railway in Italy using the albumen silver print method. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, as photography became more widespread, it offered new views of the world. This image encapsulates the spirit of progress and industry that was spreading across Europe. It shows a modern railway clinging to the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. In the distance, a railway car descends with a lone passenger. The image serves as a record of human engineering, and it speaks to the Victorian-era interest in conquering nature through technology. It is important to remember, however, that the construction and operation of such railways often relied on complex social hierarchies. Detailed archival research helps to bring such dynamics to light, reminding us that art is always made within a specific set of social and institutional circumstances.