Pompeii_ Temple of Apollo, No. 5022 c. 1870 - 1880

This albumen print of the Temple of Apollo in Pompeii was captured by Giacomo Brogi. Photography in the 19th century involved a labor-intensive chemical process of coating glass plates with light-sensitive emulsion and exposing them in large format cameras. Brogi’s choice of subject matter is revealing. Pompeii, frozen in time by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, became a popular site for archaeological exploration and tourism. Brogi capitalized on this interest, producing photographs of the ruins as souvenirs for wealthy Europeans embarking on Grand Tours. These views offered a glimpse into a romanticized past. But these photographs, like the archaeological digs themselves, also tell us about contemporary labor practices. The creation of these images, from the physical labor of digging and clearing the site to the technical expertise of photography, reflects the era’s burgeoning tourist industry and the commodification of history. Brogi’s photograph isn't just a document; it’s a product of its time, embedded in the social and economic realities of 19th-century Europe.