Conserving the Memory: the Fratelli Alinari Photographs of Rome

This exhibition features nineteenth- and twentieth-century photographs of Rome from the famous Fratelli Alinari Photography Firm, and highlights the Firm’s dedication to preserving the artistic heritage of the Eternal City. The photographs document Rome’s great works of art and architecture, from the magnificent façade and bustling square of St. Peter’s Basilica to the tranquil gardens of the Villa Medici to the famed Apollo Belvedere in the Vatican Museum.

Leopoldo Alinari trained in Florence as an engraver, but became captivated by the documentary capability of the emerging medium of photography. In 1852, he established the Fratelli Alinari Photography Firm, known simply as “Ditta,” or “The Firm.” It soon became a family business, employing Leopoldo’s brothers Guiseppe and Romualdo. The Firm’s formation coincided with the early years of the unification of Italy, a time of intense national pride and patriotism. In response, the Alinari travelled the country, capturing in image Italy’s most treasured edifices, monuments, and works of art.

Though the Alinari sought to provide distant viewers “truth without interpretation,” their photographs stand as accomplished works of art. The critic Ernest Lacan remarked of his friends the Alinari brothers, “the Alinari are not content to present the monuments of their country; they have devoted themselves to ‘conserving’ the memory for the future of the masterpieces… that time gradually destroys.” The Alinari’s rapid rise to prominence was confirmed in 1855, when their photographs received accolades at the French Exposition.

The Firm often based their subject matter on popular travel guides, such as Baedeker’s Central Italy, hoping that tourists, both actual and armchair, would covet Alinari photographs as souvenirs d’Italie. The brochure in the gallery features excerpts from the 1909 edition of Central Italy and is designed, together with the photographs in the exhibition, to guide viewers on their own Grand Tour of the Eternal City.

The Firm remained a family business until 1920, when ownership was ceded to shareholders. It exists today as a museum, publishing house, and massive photography archive, housing the world’s oldest and largest collection of photographs of Italy.

Special thanks to William Knight Zewadski, who made gifts of these photographs, along with many other wonderful objects, to the Michael C. Carlos Museum.