Städel Museum
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Places of Longing in Early Photography
Gondoliers on the Grand Canal, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the antiquities of Rome: Numerous photographs by Giorgio Sommer, the Alinari brothers, Carlo Naya, and Robert Macpherson, among others, shaped the image of Italy as a place of longing. The Städel Museum is presenting a selection of early photographs of Italy. The exhibition unites altogether ninety major photos of the years 1850 to 1880 from the museum’s own collection.
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People have been dreaming their way to Italy for generations: the Mediterranean climate, multifaceted natural environment, and wealth of culture and art treasures have long since made the country a favourite travel destination. When the development of the railway system led to a boom in tourism in the second half of the nineteenth century, photography studios opened in the vicinity of the most popular sights. Even before the invention of the picture postcard, the photographic views on sale there were a prized souvenir for travellers, and also sold internationally by mail order. Johann David Passavant, then director of the Städel, began purchasing photos for the museum’s collection as far back as the 1850s. From these prints, both the art-interested public and students of the affiliated art academy were able to get an idea of southern Europe and its artistic and natural treasures. This brought distant countries closer while, simultaneously, the motifs in circulation determined what was considered worth seeing. To this day, the sceneries captured in photographs at that time continue to have an impact.
Curator: Dr Kristina Lemke (Head of Photography, Städel Museum)
Picture: Giorgio Sommer, Sorrento: View of the city from the west (Detail), ca. 1880–1890, Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main; Enrico Van Lint, Pisa: The Leaning Tower (Detail), ca. 1855, Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Venice: View of the Marciana Library, the Campanile and the Doge’s Palace, ca. 1875
Albumen print mounted on cardboard, 41,3 x 54,1 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Pisa: The Leaning Tower, ca. 1855
Albumen print mounted on cardboard, 14,5 x 10,9 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Photo: Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Naples: The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius on 26 April 1872, 3.00 pm, 1872
Albumen print mounted on cardboard, 18,1 x 24,1 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.
Photo: Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Milan: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, ca. 1868–1873
Albumen print mounted on cardboard, 24,0 x 18,2 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Photo: Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Rome: Fishermen on the Tiber near the Castel Sant’Angelo, ca. 1860
Albumen print mounted on cardboard, 27,7 x 38,0 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Photo: Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Venice: Bridge of Sighs, ca. 1860–1870
Albumen print mounted on cardboard, 35,2 x 25,5 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Photo: Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Discover more works of the exhibition in the Digital Collection.
Tours are available in English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Dutch and Japanese.
Please contact us to arrange your group visit even if you do not wish to book a guided tour.
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Held in Time: The Romantic Image of Italy
Thursday, 13 April, 7.00 pm
English is your native tongue and you’d like to talk to others about art in that language? Or you’re a non-native speaker and would be interested in building on your knowledge of English outside your professional environment? With Art Talks we offer a programme of guided tours providing a relaxed atmosphere in which the fine arts will inspire you to perfect your English. The prerequisite is good command of English; no special knowledge is required.
“‘Images of Italy’ invites visitors along on a photographic journey: from Milan, Venice, and Florence to Rome and Naples. At the same time, the show offers insights into the history of the Städel Museum’s photography collection.”
Philipp Demandt, Director, Städel Museum