Carlo Ponti

The demand for souvenir images of Italy’s remarkable architecture and landscape inspired photographers from across Europe to work there soon after the medium’s invention. By the 1860s commercial photography studios in Rome, Florence, and other major cities allowed tourists to purchase photographic prints of virtually every statue, monument, and view. Optician Carlo Ponti operated one of the principal Venetian photography studios, selling his own work as well as that of other photographers. While many of their works are routine images of recognizable sites, these early photographers also explored the unique properties and potentials of their medium.