Plaster Cast of a Victim of the Eruption of Vesuvius - Giorgio Sommer

A nineteenth-century albumen print by Giorgio Sommer documenting a plaster cast of a victim from the excavations at Pompeii.

This albumen print by Giorgio Sommer captures one of the plaster casts created from the voids left by victims of the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Giuseppe Fiorelli, the director of excavations at Pompeii, developed the technique of pouring liquid plaster into the cavities found in the volcanic ash to preserve the forms of those who perished. Sommer, a German photographer based in Naples, documented these archaeological finds extensively during the late nineteenth century.

The photograph presents the subject with clinical detachment. The figure lies on a wooden table, the texture of the plaster cast clearly visible against the dark, indistinct background. The composition is straightforward, focusing on the physical remains as an object of scientific and historical inquiry. Sommer's work was widely circulated among European travellers and scholars, providing a visual record of the excavations that shaped public understanding of the disaster.

As a commercial photographer, Sommer produced numerous catalogues of Italian antiquities and sites. His documentation of the Pompeian casts remains a significant record of nineteenth-century archaeological practice. The image reflects the era's fascination with the intersection of antiquity and modern scientific preservation. By capturing these forms, Sommer provided a tangible connection to the inhabitants of the Roman city, frozen in their final moments. The print serves as a record of the methods used to recover the history of the site, documenting both the human tragedy and the technical efforts to preserve it for future study.