Tempel van Neptunus, Paestum, Italië 1857 - 1914

This photograph of the Tempel van Neptunus in Paestum, Italy was taken by Giorgio Sommer sometime during his active years. Sommer, a German photographer based in Italy, captured the allure of ancient sites for a burgeoning tourist market. What does it mean to look at this image today? Sommer’s lens frames not just a temple, but also the desires of 19th-century European society. The image speaks to the grand tour, to a particular class and their cultural consumption of Italy, and to the way photography was used to document and disseminate classical ideals. This photograph offers a window into the past. It connects us to the layered histories of cultural exchange, tourism, and the enduring fascination with antiquity, inviting us to consider whose stories are told, and whose are left out of the frame.