Photographers and female photographers in archive papers

Can one contribute to the history of photography through the papers of a religious order?
Those who work in photography and do not study the history of the Church may find many interesting sources in our archives. Today we dedicate this episode to this profession, which only began to leave its mark in the archive papers in the last decades of the 19th century.

The history of photography

The first photograph in history was taken in 1826 and about twelve years later the first human being was photographed. Scientists, scholars and painters had known and studied the role of light in the so-called camera obscura since ancient times. Photography enjoyed immediate success and considerable technological development within a few decades, which allowed for the initially very long shutter speeds to be shortened and the greater availability of suitable materials for photographic reproduction. It soon became accessible to many people who could thus have their photographs taken or portraits taken with their families, at least on the most important occasions in life.

In a few cases, however, the entire photographic archive of a single professional has come down to us in its entirety, housed in the historical archive of the family or the organisation that inherited it, as in the case of the Alinari brothers, or in institutes to which it was donated. This is the case of the numerous collections today in the Institute for Graphics.

In most cases the photographers’ archives have been dispersed, but can be reconstructed by tracing the photos taken for clients. That is why it is very important, when rearranging a photo series, to indicate the names of the photographers in the inventory. That is why our archive, like many archives of religious orders, can also contribute to writing a part of the history of photography and to the professional history of many photographers.

In the course of rearranging the funds, thousands of photographs were found. They are often kept in the personal file of each Jesuit, or among their personal papers for those who had a lot of material in their room at the time of their death.

Several photographic series collect albums and single photos: in the Neapolitan Province fund, in the Veneto-Milan and Turin Provinces, in those of the colleges.

Photographers active in Rome

We searched the register of the congregation of the Purification. Among those registered were painters and printers but, curiously, no photographers at least until the 1930s when the compilers stopped indicating the professions of the new congregants.

In the course of reordering the photographic series of the Maximilian Maximus Institute, currently one of the largest in our archive, the names of dozens of professional photographers emerged. We have noted all the names in the inventory.

Roman photographers did not take many of the photographs. In fact, we find professionals from Modena, San Benedetto del Tronto, Pistoia, Savona, Turin, Florence, Alessandria and Genoa.

Here are some of the names of all the photographers who portrayed the students of the Massimo (in individual and group photos). For example: Guidotti, Schemboche, Sciamanna, U. Candeli, A. Rossi, G. Moretti, Cheselon & Bollini, Camillo Toncker, P. Fellini, N. Baldi & C., G. Fazzi, G. Cardilli, Romolo Lazzari, G. B. Berra, Cavalier F. Strizzi, Cavalier H. Le Lieure, Francesco Reale, G. Felici, P. Meucci, Carlo Torletti, Ernesto Rossi.

Women photographers

Photographers were not only men. In fact, among the numerous professionals, there are also the names of several female photographers: the Cafaratti sisters from Rome, the ‘Cané spouses’. It suggests the collaboration of husband and wife in the same profession. There is also Angelina Cané, who may sign her name after becoming a widow, but it could also be a case of homonymy – she is also active in Rome – and Emily Lardini, for whom the city where she worked is not indicated.

Advertising with one’s own photos

In many cases, it is the back of the photograph – that is almost more interesting than the image portrayed. In fact, most photographers in the late 19th and early 20th century used the back of the photograph to advertise themselves.

Not only the name of the photographic studio was present, but also the address, any technical specialisations or services made available to customers: the availability of the pictures at short notice, photos taken especially for children.

The information provided on the back was of a varied nature. In some, for example, customers were reminded that the photographer had a carriage entrance, a convenience given that at the time people travelled by carriage, a rather cumbersome means of transport to leave waiting in the street, and the ‘parking’ would provide refreshment for the horses while avoiding the coachman’s back and forth. In other cases, the back advertises the variety of backgrounds available to the photographer.

In this small gallery, we show you the backs of some photographs that were particularly well cared for when advertising photographic studios.

In these professional studios, there were in fact some pieces of furniture, usually stools, chairs and kneelers, on which the collegians would rest their hats or hold a hand. The backgrounds made it possible to simulate the setting of the photo in noble rooms, with curtains and heavy tables or even outdoors, simulating a garden.

Photographers in the Garrucci Fund

The Massimo Institute’s photographic series is not the only fonds in which traces of professional photographers can be found. Among the personal papers of Fr. Raffaele Garrucci, numismatist, art historian, archaeologist, it is also possible to find the names of many photographers.

In fact, the Jesuit used many photographers to carry out his work: they were indispensable for him to take photographs of the finds. They followed him on archaeological excavations and had the photographs delivered to him once they had been taken. Thanks to these, the scholar could write his essays, talk to his correspondents to whom he often sent copies of the photographs.

We find many names both in the two personal diaries the Jesuit kept between 1876 and 1885 and in the file of business cards, of lecturers, scholars, painters and photographers, found among the Jesuit’s papers.