Line Atop Line. Images of Architecture in Illustrated Periodicals from the Early 1800s in Italy

The phenomenon of illustrated periodicals that developed after 1832 in Europe marked the beginnings of an important period for popular communications and education. Their pages presented a rich world of images supporting various issues that came to characterise culture during the early part of the century, and with a focus on social emancipation. Among the subjects of this vast repertory of illustrations, considerable attention was given to architecture, as a tie between past and future, between history and technology, fostering a change and a reflection on the identity of different populations. Whether ancient or new, it transmitted stability, solemnity and prestige, concepts supported by illustrated periodicals presenting the best examples to a broad audience. Our study focused on illustrations contained in the first three periodicals printed in Italy.We looked in particular at how architecture was depicted, in relation to their predecessors of two years earlier in England, France and Germany.