Tempel van Venus in Pompeï

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.