Gezicht op de tempel van Vesta in Tivoli c. 1860 - 1875

This photograph of the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli was taken by Giorgio Sommer sometime in the late 19th century. As a photographic print, this image results from a complex interplay of chemistry and optics. Sommer would have used a camera obscura to focus light onto a photosensitive plate. The resulting negative was then developed using chemical processes, capturing light and shadow in great detail. What's fascinating about photography is its relationship to labor. While Sommer clearly had an artist’s eye, the final image depends on the work of anonymous laborers who prepared the photographic materials. It is the fruit of factory production and the scientific knowledge of industrial chemistry. In a way, photographs like these democratized image-making. While painting and sculpture remained the domain of skilled artists, photography allowed a broader public to engage in visual representation. This had a profound impact on art history, challenging traditional notions of authorship and skill.