These wonderful color photos that were taken by Dutch photographer Piet van Dam when he traveled to Rome in 1970.
Showing posts with label Rome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rome. Show all posts
September 22, 2017
September 15, 2017
18 Year-Old Boxer Cassius Clay (Later Muhammad Ali) Wins Olympic Boxing Gold at the Rome 1960 Olympics
These were the games where one of the all-time sporting greats took his first steps on the international stage. A young boxer called Cassius Clay came to Rome intent on winning a gold medal, and left having taken a huge step towards becoming one of the most iconic figures in the history of sport.
It seems curious to think now, but many people thought he wouldn't have enough to win the light-heavyweight gold. , the Polish fighter Zbigniew Pietrykowski, who had won bronze four years before, was considered one of the main contenders, or as was the Soviet boxer Gennady Shatkov, the middleweight champion from 1956.
However, the American boxing writers who had watched the 18-year-old Clay in action were quietly confident. They had seen his confident emergence in the amateur ranks, and they saw how he took to the Olympic environment, introducing himself to the world's athletes, immune to pressure or fear, and picking off his opponents one at a time.
His first fight pitched him against a little-known Belgian fighter called Yvon Becaus. Clay stopped him in the second round, despite describing his opponent as “the strongest man I've met”. This was some claim – Clay may have been young but he had already fought in more than a hundred bouts, winning around half of them by a knockout.
His next opponent, Shatkov, was much more experienced. The Soviet boxer had fought several hundred bouts, winning most of them. He was one of the most respected boxers in the Soviet team, but he still couldn't find a way to land any decent punches on Clay. The unanimous decision went the American's way and afterwards the gracious Shatkov conceded that “there is no disgrace in losing to a boxer like that”.
The semi-final was tougher still, with the Australian Tony Madigan giving Clay an awkward contest. Again, the bout was decided by a unanimous decision in the American’s favor.
The final pitched Clay against Pietrykowski. The Pole showed his doughty experience over the first two rounds, landing heavy punches and taking a clear lead on points. But Clay had faith in something bigger. Realising he would have to seize the final round to put his name into the Olympic record books, that is exactly what he did. Suddenly, the timing was there – combinations landed perfectly, his movement crisp and his opponent wilting. By the end of the fight, Pietrykowski was slumped against the ropes with Clay sensing he was only seconds away from a knockout. The judges agreed, with all five awarding the victory to the young American. It was the start of perhaps the most iconic career in 20th century sport.
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| 1960 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team (feat. Cassius Clay) |
It seems curious to think now, but many people thought he wouldn't have enough to win the light-heavyweight gold. , the Polish fighter Zbigniew Pietrykowski, who had won bronze four years before, was considered one of the main contenders, or as was the Soviet boxer Gennady Shatkov, the middleweight champion from 1956.
However, the American boxing writers who had watched the 18-year-old Clay in action were quietly confident. They had seen his confident emergence in the amateur ranks, and they saw how he took to the Olympic environment, introducing himself to the world's athletes, immune to pressure or fear, and picking off his opponents one at a time.
His first fight pitched him against a little-known Belgian fighter called Yvon Becaus. Clay stopped him in the second round, despite describing his opponent as “the strongest man I've met”. This was some claim – Clay may have been young but he had already fought in more than a hundred bouts, winning around half of them by a knockout.
His next opponent, Shatkov, was much more experienced. The Soviet boxer had fought several hundred bouts, winning most of them. He was one of the most respected boxers in the Soviet team, but he still couldn't find a way to land any decent punches on Clay. The unanimous decision went the American's way and afterwards the gracious Shatkov conceded that “there is no disgrace in losing to a boxer like that”.
The semi-final was tougher still, with the Australian Tony Madigan giving Clay an awkward contest. Again, the bout was decided by a unanimous decision in the American’s favor.
The final pitched Clay against Pietrykowski. The Pole showed his doughty experience over the first two rounds, landing heavy punches and taking a clear lead on points. But Clay had faith in something bigger. Realising he would have to seize the final round to put his name into the Olympic record books, that is exactly what he did. Suddenly, the timing was there – combinations landed perfectly, his movement crisp and his opponent wilting. By the end of the fight, Pietrykowski was slumped against the ropes with Clay sensing he was only seconds away from a knockout. The judges agreed, with all five awarding the victory to the young American. It was the start of perhaps the most iconic career in 20th century sport.
April 2, 2017
Violet Gibson, the Irish Woman Who Shot Mussolini in the Face
On April 7, 1926 an upper-class, 50-year-old Dublin woman shot Benito Mussolini, Italy's fascist leader, in the face.
How had Violet Gibson’s life gone from the well-heeled upbringing of Merrion Square in Dublin to dying in a mental asylum having attempted to assassinate a world leader and how different the world may have been if she had succeeded?
If she had hit her target Mussolini’s reign as the “strongman” would have ended and his successes could not have emboldened Adolf Hitler. Il Duce’s legacy is still felt in Italy (his granddaughter Alessandra is a Member of the European Parliament) and in Greece, the Golden Dawn proclaim themselves fans of the fascist leader.
What’s worse is that Gibson’s attempted assassination triggered a wave of support for Il Duce which possibly helped strengthen his grip on Italy.
So what drove Gibson to this fateful act?
Her upbringing was one of privilege. Her father was made 1st Baron Ashbourne and went on to serve as Lord High Chancellor of Ireland from 1885 to 1905. She grew up dividing her time between Dublin and London and at the age of 18 was a debutante in the court of Queen Victoria.
It was noted however, that as a child Gibson was often sick with scarlet fever, pleurisy, bouts of ill-defined "hysteria" and that she had a “violent temper.” During her younger years she also showed an interest in Christian Science and then theosophy, but at the age of 26, in 1902, she converted to Catholicism.
By 1913 Gibson had been married, to an artist, and widowed. She then moved to Paris and worked for pacifist organizations. In this year she contracted Paget's disease (an abnormal breakdown of bone tissue) and a mastectomy left her with a nine-inch scar. She then returned to England where a surgery, for appendicitis, left her with chronic abdominal pain.
Gibson became more and more obsessed with religion during her 40s. She went on retreats, followed the Jesuit scholar John O'Fallon Pope and became fixated on the ideas of martyrdom and "mortification."
By 1922 she had had a nervous breakdown and was committed to a mental asylum having been declared insane. Two years later, along with a nurse named Mary McGrath, she traveled to Rome where she lived in a convent. By this point she was convinced that God wanted her to kill someone as a sacrifice.
In February 1925 Gibson got hold of a gun and shot herself in the chest. Miraculously she survived.
In March 1926 Gibson’s mother passed away. By April of that year her obsession with killing someone had refocused; it was now trained on Mussolini.
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| Violet Gibson's prison ID card, made shortly after her 1926 arrest. |
How had Violet Gibson’s life gone from the well-heeled upbringing of Merrion Square in Dublin to dying in a mental asylum having attempted to assassinate a world leader and how different the world may have been if she had succeeded?
If she had hit her target Mussolini’s reign as the “strongman” would have ended and his successes could not have emboldened Adolf Hitler. Il Duce’s legacy is still felt in Italy (his granddaughter Alessandra is a Member of the European Parliament) and in Greece, the Golden Dawn proclaim themselves fans of the fascist leader.
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| Mussolini with fellow fascist dictator Adolf Hitler in Munich in 1940. |
What’s worse is that Gibson’s attempted assassination triggered a wave of support for Il Duce which possibly helped strengthen his grip on Italy.
So what drove Gibson to this fateful act?
Her upbringing was one of privilege. Her father was made 1st Baron Ashbourne and went on to serve as Lord High Chancellor of Ireland from 1885 to 1905. She grew up dividing her time between Dublin and London and at the age of 18 was a debutante in the court of Queen Victoria.
 |
| Violet at age 17, in 1895, shortly before being presented to the British court as a debutante. |
It was noted however, that as a child Gibson was often sick with scarlet fever, pleurisy, bouts of ill-defined "hysteria" and that she had a “violent temper.” During her younger years she also showed an interest in Christian Science and then theosophy, but at the age of 26, in 1902, she converted to Catholicism.
By 1913 Gibson had been married, to an artist, and widowed. She then moved to Paris and worked for pacifist organizations. In this year she contracted Paget's disease (an abnormal breakdown of bone tissue) and a mastectomy left her with a nine-inch scar. She then returned to England where a surgery, for appendicitis, left her with chronic abdominal pain.
Gibson became more and more obsessed with religion during her 40s. She went on retreats, followed the Jesuit scholar John O'Fallon Pope and became fixated on the ideas of martyrdom and "mortification."
By 1922 she had had a nervous breakdown and was committed to a mental asylum having been declared insane. Two years later, along with a nurse named Mary McGrath, she traveled to Rome where she lived in a convent. By this point she was convinced that God wanted her to kill someone as a sacrifice.
In February 1925 Gibson got hold of a gun and shot herself in the chest. Miraculously she survived.
In March 1926 Gibson’s mother passed away. By April of that year her obsession with killing someone had refocused; it was now trained on Mussolini.
January 22, 2017
80's Dark Portraits: Striking Photos From Rome’s ‘Dark Movement’ Scene in the Early 1980s
The early 1980s was a very particular time in the world. The personal computer boom, Reganism and pop music were all shaping the cultural landscape in ways we can still feel today. However, one movement, which was more underground, particularly thrived. Italian fine art photographer, Dino Ignani, refers to this subculture as the “Dark Movement”. You may know it more as post-punk, new wave, goth and probably a whole host of other labels. No matter how you categorize it, you know when you see it and the movement holds a very special place in all of our hearts.
"Dark Portraits" is a selection from the artist’s archive: shots of the youth that lit up the Roman night life in the early ’80s and, in particular, the venues and events related to the so-called dark universe. The dark community encompassed the various musical tendencies and the fashion of those years. These photos were shot in video-bars, discos and other places where dark events took place at the time (Olimpo, Supersonic, Angelo Azzurro, Blue Bar, C-Club, Venice, Black Out, Uonna Club, Piper, Cinema Espero) and where Ignani would invite the habitués to pose for their portraits.
"Dark Portraits" is a selection from the artist’s archive: shots of the youth that lit up the Roman night life in the early ’80s and, in particular, the venues and events related to the so-called dark universe. The dark community encompassed the various musical tendencies and the fashion of those years. These photos were shot in video-bars, discos and other places where dark events took place at the time (Olimpo, Supersonic, Angelo Azzurro, Blue Bar, C-Club, Venice, Black Out, Uonna Club, Piper, Cinema Espero) and where Ignani would invite the habitués to pose for their portraits.
September 30, 2016
37 Rare and Amazing Photographs Taken by a Schoolboy That Capture Street Scenes of Rome in the Mid-1950s
For anyone living through these bleak times, it must have been difficult to comprehend just how much Italy would change in the course of a decade. From the late 1950s to the early 1960s, Italian society was transformed by an economic boom so strong it was dubbed a ‘miracle’.
These rare vintage photos were taken on a visit to Rome in August 1956 by photographer Allan Hailstone when was a schoolboy. The photographs give us a glimpse into everyday life in Rome in the mid-1950s.
These rare vintage photos were taken on a visit to Rome in August 1956 by photographer Allan Hailstone when was a schoolboy. The photographs give us a glimpse into everyday life in Rome in the mid-1950s.
“Generally speaking, I have omitted many pictures I took of monuments unless they show something of the age, e.g. people, cars, trolleybus wires, etc.”
July 21, 2016
Rare Photographs of a Teenage Sophia Loren at the Miss Italy Contest in Rome, 1950
In 1950, Sophia Loren was just fifteen-year-old when she stood in line with the other young girls hoping to win the glittering prize of Miss Italy in Rome.
Sofia Scicolone at the time, she was deemed to be too provocative to be chosen as the winner; she was therefore awarded the title of "Miss Eleganza 1950".
1950 was the first year that the competition was reported live on the radio. Maria Bugliari won the title of Miss Italy but her success was small potatoes when compared to the long and brilliant career Sophia Loren achieved as an actress from then on.
Sofia Scicolone at the time, she was deemed to be too provocative to be chosen as the winner; she was therefore awarded the title of "Miss Eleganza 1950".
1950 was the first year that the competition was reported live on the radio. Maria Bugliari won the title of Miss Italy but her success was small potatoes when compared to the long and brilliant career Sophia Loren achieved as an actress from then on.
April 25, 2016
Rome 120 Years Ago: 40 Wonderful Photochrome Prints of the Capital of Italy in the 1890s
Photochrom prints, also called Aäc, are ink-based images produced through "the direct photographic transfer of an original negative onto litho and chromographic printing plates." Hans Jakob Schmid (1856-1924), who worked for the Swiss firm Orell Füssli, invented the technique in the 1880s.
These postcards of the ancient landmarks of Rome were produced around 1890 using the Photochrom process, which add precise gradations of artificial color to black and white photos.
These postcards of the ancient landmarks of Rome were produced around 1890 using the Photochrom process, which add precise gradations of artificial color to black and white photos.
November 18, 2015
30 Amazing Vintage Snapshots of Street Scenes of Rome in 1956
These vintage snapshots were taken by Allan on a visit to Rome as a schoolboy in August 1956. The photographs captured everyday life of Rome e.g. people, cars, trolleybus wires, etc...
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| Near Piazza di Popolo |
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| Via Conciliazione and St. Peter's |
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| Corso Vittorio Emanuele |
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| Corso Vittorio Emanuele |
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| Victor Emanuel Monument |
September 26, 2015
Stunning Black-and-White Photographs of Rome, Italy in 1956
In 1956 a young William Klein, painter, graphic artist and photographer, veteran of the success of his book-photo diary of New York, arrives in Rome called by Fellini as an assistant director of his new film, "Nights of Cabiria." The film will suffer delays but Klein in Rome, with his camera, runs long the city in the company of Fellini and other exceptional guides (Pasolini Flaiano, Moravia, etc.).. The atmosphere is magical in the fifties and the young American photographer who will make Rome a new photographic fresco, masterful and powerful.
January 17, 2015
60 Amazing Photographs That Capture Street Scenes of Rome, Italy in the Early 1960s
In the early 1960s, Bruno Barbey crisscrossed Italy from North to South attempting to capture the spirit of the nation. These images appear here "as if from a long sleep", imbued with the mythology of the place.
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December 25, 2014
Amazing Vintage Photographs of Rome From the Late 19th Century
The city of Rome originated as a village of the Latini in the 8th century BC. It was initially ruled by kings, but the Roman Republic was established in 509 BC. During the 5th century BC, Rome gained regional dominance in Latium, and eventually the entire Italian peninsula by the 3rd century BC. The population of the city at this point is estimated at about 300,000 people.
With the Punic Wars, Rome gained dominance over the Mediterranean, displacing Hellenistic Greece as the dominant regional power for the next five centuries. The Roman Empire was established under Octavian in 27 BC, after Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, followed by a period of civil war. The city of Rome now surpassed a population of one million, likely the first city in history to reach this size (compared to world population of about 200–300 million at the time).
We found an amazing collection of old photos depicting the streets of the “Eternal City” Rome, from the late 19th Century.
With the Punic Wars, Rome gained dominance over the Mediterranean, displacing Hellenistic Greece as the dominant regional power for the next five centuries. The Roman Empire was established under Octavian in 27 BC, after Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, followed by a period of civil war. The city of Rome now surpassed a population of one million, likely the first city in history to reach this size (compared to world population of about 200–300 million at the time).
We found an amazing collection of old photos depicting the streets of the “Eternal City” Rome, from the late 19th Century.
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| Via del Corso, Palazzetto Sciarra and the Arch of Carbognano before their demolition to make space for via Minghetti, c. 1886. |
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| Vicolo del Mortaro before the opening of via del Tritone, with Oratorio dell’Angelo Custode on the left, 1888-1900. |
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| G. Primoli, View of piazza Venezia towards via IV Novembre, c. 1890. |
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| Piazza Colonna, in the background Palazzo Piombino, c. 1887. |
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| The Carnival floats parade on via del Corso, near piazza Colonna; on the right, Palazzo dei Magazzini Bocconi, 1887. |
