Jessie White Mario, in her book of memories on Agostino Bertani, recalls that twelve photographs of the Roman Campaign of 1849 were preserved in the entry hall of Bertani’s home in Genoa. These were salted papers executed by Lecchi, mounted in gilded frames, and grouped by four at a time. They were arranged to compose pictures and juxtaposed to reconstruct exactly the external line of defense, the internal one and that to the walls in the vicinity of Porta S. Pancrazio.
The captions, written in ink on cardboard supports might be in Bertani’s own handwriting. These are amply descriptive texts, obviously intended to precisely record the events, the places, and the brave protagonists who fell defending Rome, integrating what only those photographs could suggest. Bertani, in fact, had actively participated in the conflict, assisting the injured.
Bertani’s entire archive had been left to his sister Luigia, the widow Molinari, who had then given Jessie White Mario the task of selling it (Paoli, 2001). The archive was acquired by the Comune di Milano in 1888, and today is preserved in the Civica Raccolta delle Stampe A. Bertarelli in that city.
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We do not know whether Lecchi hypothesized a "reading path" for his photographs; whether he was aware of, or had himself wanted, the mounting of the photographs to be done in the way that was later documented by Jessie White Mario regarding Bertani's collection.
The twelve photographs were mounted in gilded frames and grouped by four, arranged to make up pictures and juxtaposed to reconstruct exactly the external line of defense, the internal one and that to the walls in the vicinity of Porta S. Pancrazio, entrance to the Janiculan and Aurelian walls.
Jessie White Mario, in his memoir on Agostino Bertani, recalls how the twelve photographs of the 1849 Rome Campaign were kept in the entrance hall of the two houses inhabited by Bertani in Genoa: “those who frequented the homes of Agostino Bertani in Genoa, both the one in the Strada Novissima and the one in the Acquasole, would often linger in the entry hall to examine a series of photographs of Roman ruins and to read the handwritten descriptions beneath them” [*] (White 1888).
The handwritten captions on the supporting cards of the photographs could be Bertani's own. Only the pictures of the events of 1849 preserved in his house, in fact, have captions, while the others executed by Lecchi, or attributed to him, lack them. These are broadly descriptive writings, with the obvious intent of accurately recalling events, places, the most valiant protagonists, those who fell for the defense of Rome, thus complementing the imagery in the photographs.
The Milanese doctor, after participating in the war events by bringing relief to the wounded and fleeing with others, had been granted natural rights in the Kingdom of Sardinia by King Vittorio Emanuele II on February 19th, 1850, and thus moved to the Ligurian capital. Jessie White also recalls what feelings had prompted Bertani to preserve the photographs and display them, as an imperishable reminder of the events and a warning to those present.
The entire archive had been left to his sister Luigia, widow Molinari, who had then entrusted Jessie White Mario with the sale. The documents were purchased by the Comune di Milano in 1888.
(Maria Pia Critelli)
[*] «Quanti frequentarono la casa di Agostino Bertani in Genova, sì quella in strada Nuovissima sì l’altra sull’Acquasole, si saranno fermati più di una volta nella sala d’entrata per esaminare una serie di fotografie di rovine romane e leggervi sotto le indicazioni scritte a mano»