1167 Napoli panorama c. 1893 - 1903

This is Giorgio Sommer's photographic panorama of Naples, taken sometime in the late 19th century. It gives us a sweeping view of the city, dominated by the looming presence of Mount Vesuvius in the background. Naples in this era was a city undergoing rapid transformation. The unification of Italy in 1861 brought new investment and modernization, but also social tensions. Photography at this time, with its seemingly objective view, became a powerful tool for documenting and shaping perceptions of urban space. Sommer, as a commercial photographer, catered to the tourist trade, offering views like this as souvenirs of the Grand Tour. But photographs are never neutral. Sommer's choice of perspective, framing the city through the lens of picturesque natural scenery, evokes a romantic vision of Naples, carefully managing the image of a rapidly changing city for outside consumption. We might ask, what aspects of Neapolitan life are excluded from this carefully constructed view? Understanding the historical context of images like this requires looking beyond the surface to the social and economic forces that shaped their production and consumption.