Fotoreproductie van (vermoedelijk) een tekening van de Blauwe Grot op Capri c. 1880 - 1900

Giorgio Sommer created this photograph of a drawing of the Blue Grotto on Capri, Italy, sometime in the late 19th century. It captures the allure of this natural wonder, depicting figures gazing into the cave's luminous depths, a boatman guiding visitors through the narrow entrance. The Blue Grotto had become a popular destination for European travelers by the late 1800s. Sommer, catering to this burgeoning tourist industry, offered images that captured the sublime beauty of the site. But his work also hints at the changing relationship between humans and nature, as the once-isolated grotto was transformed into a spectacle of mass tourism. The image's composition—the dramatic light, the figures in awe—speaks to the Romantic sensibility that shaped the era's perception of nature. To understand its significance fully, we might consult travelogues, guidebooks, and other period sources to grasp the cultural context in which this image was created and consumed. This photograph, then, becomes a window into the social and cultural dynamics of 19th-century tourism and the evolving ways in which we frame and experience the natural world.