Views of Naples and Pompeii, 1860-1895

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Summary

Title:

Views of Naples and Pompeii

Dates:

1860-1895

Creators:

Sommer, Giorgio, 1834-1914

Abstract:

The collection of photographs includes views of Pompeii and excavations as well as images from Sommers' Napoli Costume series.

Extent:

15 photographic prints

Language:

Collection material is in Italian with some English.

Preferred citation:

Views of Naples and Pompeii, 1860-1895, Getty Research Institute, Research Library, Accession no. 2003.R.14

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2003r14

Background

Scope and content:

This collection of 15 albumen prints includes nine views of Pompeii and excavations, four images from Sommers' Napoli Costume series, and a depiction of the tarantella dance. Buildings represented include the temples of Apollo, Fortuna Augusta, and Isis, the theater or odeon, and the House of the Balcony and the House of the Tragic Poet. A scene of the tarantella (ca. 1880s), is a photomontage with figures taken from earlier Sommers photographs. Also included is a view of the excavations at Pompeii in 1895 by Giacomo Brogi.

Twelve of the photographs are hand-colored. There are both black and white and hand-colored prints of the Temple of Isis (Sommers #1216), and the Temple of Fortuna Augusta (Sommers #1207).

The photographs are numbered, titled, and credited in the negative in Italian or English.

Arrangement

No discernible original order; arranged by cataloger.

Biographical / historical:

German-born photographer Giorgio Sommer opened his photographic studio in Naples in 1857, and published Naples and Surroundings that same year. While his views and genre scenes catered to the tourist trade, Sommer was also keenly interested in documenting archaeological subjects. He photographed Pompeii in 1863, and won a bronze medal for his photographs at the 1867 Exposition universelle, Paris.

Acquisition information:

Acquired in 2003.

Processing information:

Processed and cataloged by Beth Guynn; finding aid encoded by Holly Larson with grant funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR).

Physical location:

To access physical materials on site, go to the library catalog record for this collection and click "Request an Item." Click here for access policy.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: Excavations (Archaeology) -- Italy -- Pompeii (Extinct city)
Architecture, Roman -- Italy -- Pompeii (Extinct city)
Architecture, Domestic -- Italy -- Pompeii (Extinct city)
House of the Tragic Poet (Pompeii)
Temples, Roman
Tarantella
Temple of Isis (Pompeii)
Temple of Apollo (Pompeii)
Temples -- Italy -- Pompeii (Extinct city)
Photomontages -- Italy -- 19th century
Photographic prints -- Hand-colored -- Italy -- 19th century
Albumen prints -- Italy -- 19th century

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:: Beth Guynn
Date Encoded:: This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-04-29 13:31:07 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:: Open for use by qualified researchers.
Terms of access:: Contact Library Rights and Reproductions.