Gezicht op de ruïne van de Bagno di Diana te Syracuse, Sicilië 1857 - 1914

Giorgio Sommer captured this albumen print, "View of the ruins of the Bagno di Diana in Syracuse, Sicily," during a time of great archaeological interest in Italy. Sommer, a German photographer based in Naples, catered to the burgeoning tourist industry, documenting classical sites. But what does it mean to look at the ruins of a bath dedicated to Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt and moon, through the lens of 19th-century colonialism? These serene, sun-drenched stones carry echoes of the ancient world, but also whispers of the power dynamics inherent in their rediscovery and representation. Sommer's photograph invites us to contemplate not only the beauty of the past, but also the complex layers of history and power that shape our understanding of it. The photograph is less about the object it depicts, and more about how our gaze can both reveal and conceal.