Gezicht op de Gotthardbahn bij Göschenen before 1894

Curator: Giorgio Sommer created this captivating gelatin silver print, "Gezicht op de Gotthardbahn bij Göschenen," sometime before 1894. It resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The first impression I get is of dramatic isolation. The overwhelming scale of the mountains almost smothers the little town nestled in the valley. It speaks to humanity’s vulnerability. Curator: Indeed. The image participates in a late 19th-century romanticism while being explicitly a depiction of industrialization--the Gotthard Railway changed the landscape, quite literally. Editor: So, it becomes a conversation between nature’s sublime power and human encroachment. I’m curious about Sommer’s motivations, though. Was he celebrating progress or critiquing its impact? Curator: That tension is critical. The railway facilitated increased tourism and trade, profoundly impacting the lives of people in Göschenen. This image also speaks to Swiss identity. Editor: It definitely presents a hyper-masculine idea of nation. The very construction of this railway became synonymous with Switzerland's identity, specifically its engineering prowess and economic potential, and the image feeds into that romantic idea of nationhood. Curator: But it's interesting that it appears within this movement known as Pictorialism. So how do we consider Sommer as using photography, generally thought of as "objective", as art, which in his time, allowed the photography to explore these social implications. Editor: That's right. Think about who benefits from these projects and who’s potentially marginalized. It offers a lot to chew on. This image really highlights how power operates within even the most “scenic” vistas. Curator: Exactly. I appreciate how this one image encapsulates the complexities of progress and its ripple effects through identity and representation. Editor: Yes, a quiet picture holding multitudes! Thanks for unveiling the complex layers here.