Pictorial, Literary, and Engraving References in Architectural Photography in Rome (1850–1870). The Dissemination of a Fading Ideal

Abstract

This article presents the methodology of the doctoral dissertation “Pictorial, Literary, and Engraving References in Architectural Photography in Rome (1850–1870). The Dissemination of a Fading Ideal.”

The research examines architectural photography in Rome between 1850 and 1870 as a fundamental medium for capturing and disseminating an ideal of the “Eternal City” that was in the process of disappearing in the face of the imminent Unification of Italy. The study seeks to demonstrate that these early photographic images were not merely technical documents, but were deeply influenced by prior literary, pictorial, and engraved references, consolidating an artistic imaginary already established since the era of the Grand Tour.

Through an interdisciplinary methodology, the dissertation highlights the transition of photography from a documentary and commercial intention toward a subjective and artistic expression. In this regard, it aims to identify how photographers—much like the au plein air painters only a few decades earlier—began to prioritize “the felt” over “the seen,” using light and composition to evoke nostalgia and aesthetic enjoyment. Ultimately, the work proposes a new imaginary phototheque that reclaims the value of photography as a complex cultural symbol and as a tool for historical and emotional interpretation.