PHOTO LIBRARY

The Photo Library of INASA originated in 1918, when the Reale Istituto d'Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte was funded. A nucleus of about 15,000 prints made by the Gabinetto Fotografico Nazionale was initially provided by the Direzione Generale delle Antichità e Belle Arti of the Italian Ministry of Education.

It was subsequently enriched by legacies, purchases and exchanges with public and private entities and, above all, thanks to important donations. For many years, a Photographic Laboratory was also set up in the Library of the Istituto.

The Photo Library is located in the historic building of Palazzo Venezia, with entrance at no. 49, Piazza San Marco. It can be accessed during opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9.30 - 14;  Thursday 9.30 - 18.

It currently collects about 130,000 prints of great historical interest and particular rarity, dating between the last decades of the nineteenth and the second half of the twentieth century. Numerous photographers are represented, together with the main national and foreign photographic companies (Istituto Italiano d’Arti Grafiche di Bergamo, Alinari, Gabinetto Fotografico Nazionale, Istituto LUCE, Anderson, Brogi, Moscioni).

Photographs are divided in Collections, which are named after their donors; within each Collection, sorting is organized by toponyms. At present there are about 2,900 toponyms, corresponding to as many localities, of which about 60% in Italy.

Photographic Collections

Fondo Ordinario

Fondo Corrado Ricci

Fondo Monneret

Fondo Mariani

Fondo Galassi

Fondo Bertini Calosso

Fondo Notizie Scavi

Fondo Elisa Ricci

Fondo La Regina

DIGITAL RESOURCES

Images of Rome. The Rodolfo Lanciani Digital Archive

Thanks to an agreement signed by the Istituto Nazionale di Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte, the University of Oregon, the Stanford University, the Dartmouth College and the Biblioteca di Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte di Roma (BIASA), 4,000 graphic works belonging to the Lanciani Collection have been recently digitized. The Collection, property of the Istituto, has been outsourced to the BIASA for public access. The Stanford University website Images of Rome. The Rodolfo Lanciani Digital Archive offers virtual access to a premier collection of historic depictions through a simple search interface and high resolution images.

Note: reproduction and publication requests for the Lanciani Collection at the BIASA must be submitted to the Istituto Nazionale di Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte at inasa@inasa-roma.it


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