Tempel van Venus in Pompeï c. 1870 - 1900

Giorgio Sommer made this photograph of the Temple of Venus in Pompeii sometime in the 19th century, likely using the wet collodion process. This would have involved coating a glass plate with chemicals, exposing it in the camera while still wet, and then developing it immediately. Think about that process for a moment. It’s a far cry from the ease of digital photography. Sommer would have needed a portable darkroom to develop the image on site, carrying heavy equipment. The tonal range is beautiful, but also notice the collodion printing-out paper. It’s a reminder that photography, even in its early days, was not just about capturing a scene, but also about the material processes involved. The choice of subject matter is telling. The ruins of Pompeii were a popular tourist destination, and Sommer was catering to a market for souvenir photographs. This image, therefore, reflects both artistic skill and entrepreneurial savvy, blurring the lines between art, craft, and commerce.