Interesting exhibition at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris which is presenting Painting and Photographs of Italy done in the 19th Century. The exhibition will introduce some important Daguerreotype from that period which have a very historical impact.
Here the note from the Musee D'Orsay:
The "Grand Tour" did not disappear at the end of the French Age of Enlightenment, nor with the emergence of aesthetic models other than those from Italy. Its popularity with artists and ordinary tourists was such that, even after 1850, there was a considerable boom, promoted by advances in communications and in photography.
The nostalgia inextricably linked with the land of Virgil, and the attraction of its still remaining sights encouraged many more images to be produced. The exhibition sets these out around a number of recurrent themes and fantasies which circulated from one medium to another: archaeological and ancient remains, major cultural sites of Europe and the resilience of the ancient world amongst the present day population. It is Italy of our heart's desire, that no-one ever really leaves.
