Gezicht op Bellagio c. 1860 - 1870

Editor: This is Giorgio Genazzini’s "Gezicht op Bellagio," likely taken between 1860 and 1870. It looks like a stereoscopic photograph, so intended to be viewed in three dimensions. It feels quite…stark. What strikes you most about it? Curator: The seeming simplicity. This image, replicated to give the illusion of depth, was in its time a tool of expanding horizons, creating an 'armchair tourism' that made places like Bellagio accessible to a burgeoning middle class. But whose perspective is prioritized here? Who benefits from this easy access, and who remains unseen? Editor: So you're suggesting it reinforces a particular class perspective? Curator: Precisely. Think about the technological advancements required for this image – the labour involved in creating and distributing it. And consider what is omitted. Where are the workers, the farmers, the inhabitants whose lives are being looked upon, perhaps even romanticized, by viewers far removed from their reality? The composition emphasizes picturesque beauty, but at what cost? What labour and socio-economic stratification allows this picturesque landscape to be consumed? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way. It seems almost... voyeuristic now. Curator: It’s a reflection of a broader social and political reality. Early photography played a key role in shaping perceptions of place and otherness, often reinforcing existing power structures. The technology literally "fixes" the subject in place. It's a powerful tool for observation and documentation but always demands we interrogate whose gaze is dominant and whose story is being told – or, more importantly, omitted. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about in terms of photographic history and representation. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. It challenges us to engage critically with images, past and present, and to consider the complex social forces they embody.