Gezicht op de ingang van Villa Comunale in Napels c. 1860 - 1880

This is Giorgio Sommer's photographic, stereoscopic image of the entrance to Villa Comunale in Naples. Sommer, a German photographer, operated primarily out of Italy, catering to the burgeoning tourist trade. But who were these tourists, and what did they seek? Images such as this one offered a picturesque vision of Italy, one easily consumed by the upper classes embarking on the Grand Tour. The photograph flattens the lived experience of Naples, reducing it to a mere backdrop. The very act of framing this view is an exercise of power, dictating what is deemed worthy of documentation and, by extension, of value. Who is included and excluded from the frame? Where are the working class and the poor? Consider how the pursuit of beauty and leisure often obscures the realities of labor and inequality. The photograph invites us to reflect on the politics embedded in representation.