Italian Stereotypes


Figure 1.--In Italy during last decades of 19th century some photographers created images showing stereotypical popular scenes. The photographs were made into post cards and proved popular. mostly with foreign tourists. We have an example in this photo taken in Naples about 1870 by Giorgio Sommer, showing "spaghetti eaters". The photo shows an actual scene, but in a stereotypical way. In Naples there were really spaghetti street sellers. The spaghetti were given in a dish and eaten at once without any cutlery. However here we have a caricature."

Stereotypes gradually settled on all the major European countries. These represent how the Europeans looked on each other. Some of these stereotypes were not very flattering. As with most sterotypes, there was often an element of truth in these images, not matter how unfair or rude. These stereotypes emerged in private conversation and litwrature. One way they were illustrated were in postcards swhich began to become popular in the late 19th century, in part because of developments in photography and lithography. An Italian reader writes, "writes, "In Italy during last decades of 19th century some photographers created images showing stereotypical popular scenes. The photographs were made into post cards and proved popular. mostly with foreign tourists. We have an example in this photo taken in Naples about 1870 by Giorgio Sommer, showing "spaghetti eaters". The photo shows an actual scene, but in a stereotypical way. In Naples there were really spaghetti street sellers. The spaghetti were given in a dish and eaten at once without any cutlery. However here we have a caricature." Giorgio Sommer (1834-1914) was born in Frankfurt am Main. He is one of the most important 19th century European photographers. Although born in Germany, Sommer's photography is most associated with Italy. He was extrodinarily prolific. He was axtive for three decades, 1857-88. Thus we have many fascinting images from a very early period of photography. He studied business in Frankfurt. After opening up a photigraphic studio he did some work in Switzerland. He won a contract to take photographs of Swiss monuntains that could help create relief maps. He moved his studio to Naples (1856). He developed a partnership with another German photographer in Italy--Edmund Behles who operated a Rome studio. Sommer and Behles became one of most noted photographic concern in Italy.








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Created: 12:18 AM 1/4/20082
Last updated: 12:18 AM 1/4/2008