The Rebecchino neighbourhood in an old photograph

The photo library section of the archives of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano houses over 40,000 phototypes dating from the second half of the 19th century all the way up to the present day.

From the quarries to the construction sites, from the Cathedral to the museum, these preserved images represent a priceless patrimony which "visually" reflects the association's many unique activities.
The rich thematic diversity combines with the diversification of photographic techniques found within he collection, in terms of both the photographic negatives and the positives.

What we are presenting today is a print on albumen paper, or rather a positive created with direct blackening through the use of egg white as a binder to facilitate the adhesion of photosensitive salts to the paper. This procedure dates from the second half of the 19th century, a period in which it was very popular, and is characterized by soft, warm tones that tend frequently to yellow or become discoloured.

This month's image is a view of Piazza del Duomo in which the Rebecchino neighbourhood is clearly visible in the forefront, a small urban cluster that was demolished in 1875 to make way for the city development project designed by Giuseppe Mengoni.

A photo which provides an important historical account of the city and its evolution.