Kabelspoorweg naar Château Gütsch te Luzern before 1895

Giorgio Sommer created this albumen print photograph of the Kabelspoorweg naar Château Gütsch, in Lucerne, Switzerland, during the late 19th century. The image presents a fascinating convergence of technology, tourism, and social stratification. The funicular railway, or Kabelspoorweg, was a modern marvel, designed to transport visitors to the Château Gütsch, visible on the hilltop. This luxury hotel catered to a wealthy clientele, seeking leisure and escape in the picturesque Swiss landscape. Sommer's photograph subtly comments on the changing social landscape of the time. It highlights the growing accessibility of leisure for the upper classes, facilitated by technological advancements and the development of tourist infrastructure. The image’s composition, with the railway ascending towards the Château, visually reinforces the hierarchy between the town below and the elevated world of the hotel. To understand the social context of this photograph, one might delve into historical records of tourism in Switzerland, the development of railway technology, and the marketing of luxury travel to the European elite.