Gezicht op het eiland Nisida in de baai van Napels 1860 - 1889

This photograph of Nisida Island in the Bay of Naples was taken by Roberto Rive sometime in the mid-19th century, using a process called albumen printing. The seemingly straightforward image is laden with the heavy, physical presence of its materials: glass, silver, paper, and egg whites. This process involved coating paper with albumen, which created a smooth surface to receive the photographic image. Silver nitrate was then applied, making the paper light-sensitive, allowing Rive to capture this view of the island with incredible detail. The tonality in this sepia-toned photograph is rich because of the labor-intensive process of its creation. The production of albumen prints required great skill. The final product also speaks to the rise of tourism and photography as a commercial venture. Photographs like these allowed a wider audience to possess views of distant places, reflecting the growing accessibility of travel and the commodification of visual experience. By considering the materials and processes involved, we can appreciate how photography was not just about capturing an image, but also about crafting a tangible object with its own inherent value and social context.