Photos of a life on the road

Enrico D’Albertis' Photographic Archive is an inexhaustible mine of wonder and interest.

From the end of the nineteenth century until the nineteen twenties D'Albertis photographed with all the enthusiasm of those who, lovers of technology and progress, found in their hands a device that allowed them to fix on paper what had previously only been able to see “in situ” and remember with their memories.

D’Albertis was no professional photographer who photographed as a process of documentation: rather he was simply a lover of this wonderful new technology, his images were intended for his albums to be shown to friends and, at most, to illustrate his travel books.

Every moment was immortalized, literally enough negatives to fill an entire trunk, these have been jealously guarded and the contents of about 21,000 images have, over a period of almost 20 years, been studied and catalogued: it is a demanding job that continues, trying to give a date and a name to both the places and people pictured, the envelopes in which they are contained, tied with cord and sealed with wax, sometimes contain some meagre information, but it is never exhaustive and on a negative nothing can be written.

Today, technology allows us a virtual visit to the places that he memorialized and much can be reconstructed from the numerous books he wrote and illustrated with his photos.

 

Captain and Campese Tower (1906)

Foto di Captain and Campese Tower   (1906)

Captain and Campese Tower (1906)

Foto di Captain and Campese Tower   (1906)

Giglio Island (1906)

Foto di Giglio Island  (1906)

Giglio Island (1906)

Foto di Giglio Island  (1906)

Campese Tower (1906)

Foto di Campese Tower (1906)

Campese Tower (1906)

Foto di Campese Tower (1906)

Giuseppe Pini known as "Capitan Beppino" (1906)

Foto di Giuseppe Pini known as "Capitan Beppino"   (1906)

Giuseppe Pini known as "Capitan Beppino" (1906)

Foto di Giuseppe Pini known as "Capitan Beppino"   (1906)

The Captain and Giacomo Doria (1899)

Foto di The Captain and Giacomo Doria   (1899)

The Captain and Giacomo Doria (1899)

Foto di The Captain and Giacomo Doria   (1899)

Orietta Doria (1899)

Foto di Orietta Doria (1899)

Orietta Doria (1899)

Foto di Orietta Doria (1899)

Young girl

Foto di Young girl

Young girl

Foto di Young girl

Jetty

Foto di Jetty

Jetty

Foto di Jetty

Market

Foto di Market

Market

Foto di Market

Covered market

Foto di Covered market

Covered market

Foto di Covered market

Young

Foto di Young

Young

Foto di Young

Women

Foto di Women

Women

Foto di Women

Woman with basket

Foto di Woman with basket

Woman with basket

Foto di Woman with basket

Road

Foto di Road

Road

Foto di Road

Captain D'Albertis with child

Foto di Captain D'Albertis with child

Captain D'Albertis with child

Foto di Captain D'Albertis with child

Captain D'Albertis on horseback

Foto di Captain D'Albertis on horseback

Captain D'Albertis on horseback

Foto di Captain D'Albertis on horseback

Little girl

Foto di Little girl

Little girl

Foto di Little girl

Storage

Foto di Storage

Storage

Foto di Storage

Mitla

Foto di Mitla

Mitla

Foto di Mitla

Italy (1926)

Foto di Italy  (1926)

Italy (1926)

Foto di Italy  (1926)

Disembarkation of passengers with basket- Chinda, Mozambique (1908)

Foto di Disembarkation of passengers with basket- Chinda, Mozambique  (1908)

Disembarkation of passengers with basket- Chinda, Mozambique (1908)

Foto di Disembarkation of passengers with basket- Chinda, Mozambique  (1908)

Group facing pyramid and sphinx - Giza, Egypt (1908)

Foto di Group facing pyramid and sphinx - Giza, Egypt (1908)

Group facing pyramid and sphinx - Giza, Egypt (1908)

Foto di Group facing pyramid and sphinx - Giza, Egypt (1908)

Children on wagons - Arizona (1906)

Foto di Children on wagons  - Arizona  (1906)

Children on wagons - Arizona (1906)

Foto di Children on wagons  - Arizona  (1906)

Women in front of a fountain - Africa (1902)

Foto di Women in front of a fountain -  Africa  (1902)

Women in front of a fountain - Africa (1902)

Foto di Women in front of a fountain -  Africa  (1902)

Mexico (1896)

Foto di Mexico  (1896)

Mexico (1896)

Foto di Mexico  (1896)

The Captain in Sfax, Tunisia

Foto di The Captain in Sfax, Tunisia

The Captain in Sfax, Tunisia

Foto di The Captain in Sfax, Tunisia

Towards Livigno (SO), 1900

Foto di Towards Livigno (SO), 1900

Towards Livigno (SO), 1900

Foto di Towards Livigno (SO), 1900

The Captain in the second round of the world, 1896

Foto di The Captain in the second round of the world, 1896

The Captain in the second round of the world, 1896

Foto di The Captain in the second round of the world, 1896