Photography and politics in Rome: The edict of 1861 and the scandalous montages of 1861-1862

Abstract

Abstract Shaky governments everywhere were quick to grasp that the new invention of photography could be a dangerous weapon, equal to the power of the printed word in its ability to expose, embarrass, and disrupt a vulnerable regime. The decade leading up to the unification of Italy in 1870 saw both a surge of political intrigue and uprisings and the growing popularity of the carte de visite, which brought with it an increase in the number of photography studios in Rome. Immediately these new photographers were faced with old sanctions imposed by an insecure Papal government, intent upon maintaining its authority in the face of strong nationalist opposition. One early regulation required that a photographer who wished to publish his images at all, whether individually or in the form of illustrated books or albums, should register a copy of his work with the Padre Maestro of I Sacri Palazzi. Some photographs in the Museo di Roma carry the signature of ‘F. D. Buttaoni, S.P.A.M.’ (Frater Dominicus Buttaoni, Sacri Palatii Apostolici Magister), the earliest dated 1st October 1853.1