[Rome: c1870]. Hand colored albumen photograph 21 3/4 in. x 16 in., trimmed flush and affixed to old board. The surface shows some reticulation; the blank reverse of the mount board is acid stained. A very good example. Item #52884

Gioacchino Altobelli (1814 - 1878) studied painting in Rome during the 1830s, and is listed as a painter in the Roman Almanac of 1855. By 1858, Altobelli had joined in a photographic studio with his Spanish friend, Pompeo Molins. In 1865, Altobelli had formed a new company at Passeggiata di Ripetta 16, and was experimenting with the application of color to photographs and a new form of photographic chromolithography. "Altobelli decides to request a declaration of ownership; the latter, however, was not granted to him because of the opposition of the director of the Pontifical Chromolithography, Michele Stefano de Rossi, who claimed that the same invention had already been conceived by Mr. Gregorio Mariani, painter and draftsman of the plant. Despite the bitter disappointment, Altobelli perseveres in his research and comes to conceive a new method for "performing in a photograph the views of monuments with sky effect" for which he was awarded the patent in 1866. Many of the views he made with this invention were presented at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867, enjoying great success." ( Wikipedia entry) also see Becchetti, Piero. FOTOGRAFI E FOTOGRAFIA IN ITALY 1839 - 1880.

Generally, Altobelli's albumen prints are approximately 10 x 14 inches; this print is considerably larger.

Price: $1,500.00