Gezicht op Capri met rechts Hotel Tiberio c. 1860 - 1890

Editor: Here we have "Gezicht op Capri met rechts Hotel Tiberio," or "View of Capri with Hotel Tiberio on the Right," an albumen print photograph by Achille Mauri, dating roughly between 1860 and 1890. There's something almost dreamlike about the hazy sepia tones; it feels like peering into the past. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It does have that wonderfully evocative, time-capsule quality, doesn't it? The albumen print process lends a particular warmth. For me, beyond just a cityscape, this image speaks of capturing a specific atmosphere—a place poised between rustic simplicity and the burgeoning tourism industry that the Hotel Tiberio represents. Notice how the town seems to organically grow out of the rock, almost blurring the line between architecture and nature. What kind of story might this tell about the time it was taken? Editor: I see that blending now – how the buildings almost mimic the natural formations of the island. Do you think Mauri was intentionally trying to convey a message about humanity’s relationship with nature? Curator: Perhaps! Or perhaps he was just deeply drawn to that harmony and sought to immortalize it. This pictorialist style of photography wasn't simply about documentation; it aimed to create an aesthetic experience. And the fact that it focuses on capturing a sense of a place is so interesting! What's especially neat, too, is that he was working in a moment where travel and accessibility was dramatically increasing, wasn’t it? I think that really underscores its importance, the documentation of the moment as well as creating art with it. Editor: Absolutely, and viewing it now gives me that exact feeling! It’s funny to think that even back then, they were curating views and experiences for travelers. It makes you wonder how much has really changed! Curator: Exactly! It makes me excited to view new, and more old, artwork in the future! It's fascinating how each era leaves its own unique stamp.