Gezicht op Capri vanaf het vasteland, Italië 1870 - 1890

Curator: Looking at this photograph titled "Gezicht op Capri vanaf het vasteland, Italië", taken by Giorgio Sommer between 1870 and 1890, one can almost feel transported to the Italian coastline. It’s currently housed right here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It's evocative. It's monochrome but I can imagine the light shimmering on the water, creating a palpable atmosphere and a kind of idyllic tableau that feels…manufactured in a way? Curator: In a way it is, isn't it? Early tourism in the area played a crucial role in fostering this image of Capri as an almost mythical locale, as a romanticized, pre-industrial retreat. Photographers like Sommer profited from this. It is the perfect view. Editor: Precisely. It is also a gelatin-silver print, and considering its age, you realize the care, the labour it took to produce this. Each print would be a unique object in itself; and that impacts how it circulates through culture. Who had access to this, who bought it, and for what reason? Curator: These images circulated widely as souvenirs or collected as mementos of travel, contributing to Capri's popularity among wealthy Europeans, but it also cemented the image as being ‘other’ from reality and in that sense…commodity. Editor: The framing device—those trees—almost feels too perfect, adding to the constructed nature of the view, and also to that commodity status. But look closer! Think about the labor of its production; how many processes and workers were involved! The photographer, yes, but before the shot and long afterwards: chemists, manual laborers, transporters. This is not some singular stroke of genius. This image has its own labour conditions! Curator: That’s a useful thing to point out because we should ask about access; access to equipment, but also to places and how that affects power and shapes our visual narrative as the western gaze Editor: So, while its appeal lies in the captured beauty, let’s not overlook the means of production behind this photograph. These objects carry histories far beyond the beautiful vista they present. Curator: Indeed; understanding that these kinds of idyllic pictures also function within socio-economic frameworks certainly enrich our viewing experience.