Giorgio Sommer (1834-1914) was born in Frankfurt am Main (in modern day Germany), and became one of Europe’s most important and prolific photographers of the 19th century. Active from 1857 to 1888, he produced thousands of images of
archeological ruins, landscapes, art objects and portraits.
After studying business in Frankfurt, Sommer opened his first photography studio, during
which time he worked in Switzerland, where he made relief images of mountains for the
Swiss government. In 1856 moved his business to Naples and
later (1866) formed a partnership with fellow German photographer Edmund Behles (also known as
Edmondo Behles) who owned a studio in Rome. Operating from their respective Naples and Rome
studios, Sommer and Behles became one of the largest and most prolific photography
concerns in Italy.
Sommer’s catalog included images from the Vatican Museum, the National Archeological
Museum at Naples, the Roman ruins at Pompeii, as well as
street and architectural scenes of Naples, Florence, Rome,
Capri and Sicily. Most notably, Sommer published his comprehensive
album Dintorni di Napoli which contained over one hundred images of everyday scenes in Naples. In April 1872, he
documented a very large eruption of Mount Vesuvius in a series of stunning
photographs.
Sommer and Behles exhibited extensively and earned numerous honors and prizes for their work. At one time, Sommer was
appointed official photographer to King Victor Emmanuel II of
Italy.
Sommer was involved in every aspect of the photography business. He published his own images that he sold in his studios and
to customers across Europe. In later years, he photographed custom images for book illustrations, as well as printing his own
albums and postcards. Sommer worked in all the popular formats of his day: carte de visite, stereoview, and large albumen prints (approximately 8x10) which were sold individually and in bound albums.
The partnership with Behles ended in 1874, after which each photographer continued his own business. In Naples, Sommer opened
a total of four additional studios: at No. 4 and No. 8 Monte di Dio, No. 5 Magazzino S. Caterina, and a last at Piazza della
Vittoria.
Sommer died in Naples in 1914.
Links
Biographie Artnet
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