Restanten van het Casa di Cornelia Ruffo in Pompeï c. 1860 - 1890

Giorgio Sommer created this albumen print of the remains of the Casa di Cornelia Ruffo in Pompeii. Sommer was one of many 19th-century photographers who captured the ruins of Pompeii, contributing to a visual culture that romanticized the ancient world while subtly reinforcing contemporary social hierarchies. Consider the power dynamics inherent in viewing these ruins. Here, the remnants of a once-opulent Roman house are displayed through the lens of a 19th-century European photographer. The act of photographing and viewing these ruins is laden with colonial undertones, where the past becomes a spectacle for the present, often overshadowing the lives and histories of those who originally inhabited these spaces. As we look at this image, let's think about who Cornelia Ruffo was, what her life might have been like, and whose labor and resources were exploited to create her home. The photograph invites us to contemplate the layers of history and the complex interplay of power, identity, and representation that shape our understanding of the past.