Photo Archive of a Tour of Italy by an Italian American Family from New York City.
New York City, N. Y. 1920-21. Item #946 Collection of 263 photographic postcards documenting a New York City Italian American family’s return to Italy to visit family members and tour the country. The photographs show an enthusiastic family embracing their extended family and the country from which they emigrated. The photos include: Gibraltar (12). the immigrant ship Presedente Wilson with on-board imagery (22); Napoli (20); Roma (100); Palombara (17); Trento (16); Milano (20); Como (10); Genova (8); Tivoli (5); Torino (4); Verona (4); Pisa (3); miscellaneous unidentified single images of towns and people (18). There is some duplication, usually portraits of family members. Many of the images are identified in black ink in a highly legible hand, and often include the year, place names, and occasionally additional details. Some are initialed “AB” which refers to A. Bernasconi, the name that appears in some of the photo-printing. In the Palombara group of photos, Palombara being a small town located in the metropolitan area around Rome, there is a photograph of the memorial site of Lorenzo Bernasconi (1845-1905), a member of the local clergy and prominent member of the community. This group also has close-up portraits of various family members and another image of a memorial for the Valenti Family. The group of images of Rome include many photos of family members, including members who have taken religious vows. These photos are usually set with in the cloistered churches and convents and record architectural view of the local institutions to which they are connected. Many other images of Rome include the Vatican, the Forum, the Pantheon, and other marvels of the Eternal City. Several of the photos include side-bar comments in manuscript which identify specifically the nature of the image. This is especially true of the images of Naples and aboard the Presedente Wilson. One of the photo cards of Naples is a handwritten description of the journey to date and the a brief description of the city and its people. The photos are generally in very good condition and the images are clear and highly readable. Many of the panoramic views are taken from high vantage points and provide broad perspectives of the land- and cityscapes they record. The Presidente Wilson, formerly the Kaiser Franz Josef I, was one of the ships of the Cosulich Line, which made voyages carrying immigrants from Trieste to New York. For more on the ship see https://www.shipsnostalgia.com/media/s-s-presidente-wilson.485168/
Price: $700.00