This volume explores the life and work of Antonio Beato, aiming to address the gaps in existing scholarship on this remarkable photographer. It highlights his distinctive body of work, his role in nineteenth-century photography, and the significance of his images in documenting the Middle East.
Essays by Nasser Rabbat, Angelo Maggi, and Emanuele M. Ciampini examine the historical and cultural landscape of nineteenth-century Egypt, from Cairo under Ottoman and later British control, to the visual portrayal of Egypt through architecture and photography, and Beato's engagement with Pharaonic antiquities and archaeology. João Magalhães Rocha and Marco Ferrari trace Beato's journey, from his formative years (1850–1859)—including collaborations with his brother-in-law James Robertson and his brother Felice, travels throughout the Mediterranean (Constantinople, Greece, Malta, the Holy Land, and Cairo), and experiences in the Crimean and Indian wars—to his long Egyptian period (1859–1905), when he settled first in Cairo and then in Luxor, earning the title "photographer of the Nile." Cristina Da Roit closes the volume by drawing a line to the present through the gaze of Mariano and Henriette Fortuny.
The catalogue features a rich selection of photographs from fifteen archives in Italy and abroad. Beato's images – remarkable for their blend of documentary precision and artistic sensitivity in portraying Egyptian monuments and society – are presented alongside works by Felice Beato and James Robertson, early pioneers such as Roger Fenton, Pascal Sébah, and Félix Bonfils, as well as later photographers including Fortuny, Lee Miller, and contemporary artists from Cairo.
Published on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition at the Fortuny Museum, Venice, in 2025-2026.
Antonio Beato (c. 1835-1906) was an Italian-British photographer, noted for his genre works, portraits, views of the architecture and landscapes of Egypt and other locations in the Mediterranean region.
