Exterieur van de Stabiaanse thermen te Pompeï

Giorgio Sommer made this albumen print of the Stabian Baths in Pompeii sometime in the late 19th century. Sommer was a German photographer who established a successful studio in Naples, catering to the booming tourist trade. This image presents a paradox, a ruin revitalized as a destination. Pompeii, frozen in time by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, became a site of intense archaeological interest in the 18th and 19th centuries. Sommer's photograph reflects this renewed fascination with the classical world. He transforms the ancient baths into a spectacle for the modern gaze, capitalizing on the era’s obsession with antiquity. The image prompts us to consider the cultural forces that shape our understanding of the past. How do institutions like museums and tourism industries influence what we see and how we interpret history? For historians, photographs like this are invaluable resources, documenting not only the site itself but also the evolving relationship between the past and present.