Rome

The largest series of postcards from the trip corresponds to views, monuments and works of art in museums of Rome.

It has a total of 265 items, many of which are an important record of the city’s historic plan. They show what it was like before the profound changes caused by Mussolini’s political megalomania, which caused broad streets to be opened with the consequent destruction of ancient monuments and the disappearance of entire blocks of buildings around the Vatican, the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. They also document the state of excavations in progress, such as those of Trajan’s Forum and Market.

They also show the state of paintings, sculptures and other objects in basilicas, churches and museums whose collections have since been reorganised, such as the Vatican Museums, Galleria Borghese, National Roman Museum and the Gregorian Museums. Together with the comments in the journal, they form an interesting record of life in 1930.

As well as the photographs taken by Emilio Camps himself, the postcards are by various photographers and publishers, and some photographs can even be dated to the beginning of the 20th century. They include the work of photographers like D. Anderson, Gigli Mauro, Alinari, E. Chauffonier and publishers like SEDA or Foto SAM.