Mezzogiorno: Early 20th Century Southern Italy in Stereoscopic Photographs at Warsaw Fotoplastikon

This exhibition presents a collection of 48 hand-colored stereoscopic photographs offering a glimpse into Southern Italy at the turn of the 20th century. The images capture a world that no longer exists, depicting daily life, coastal views, and city scenes in places like Messina before the 1908 earthquake, Naples, and smaller towns.

Fotoplastikon Warszawski invites visitors on a sentimental journey to Southern Italy as captured in early 20th-century photographs. The exhibition features 48 stereoscopic, hand-colored images that serve as a poignant record of a world that has since vanished, frozen between the daily challenges of its time and the unfolding of history. These incredibly plastic, three-dimensional photos, taken over 100 years ago, portray life at a slower pace along seaside boulevards and market stalls. The collection includes views of southern cities such as Messina shortly before the devastating 1908 earthquake, the bustling metropolis of Naples, and smaller locales like Posilipo, Pozzuoli, and Reggio di Calabria. Visitors will see elegant palaces reflecting in the Mediterranean Sea, the monumental Doumo di Messina, the Fountain of Neptune, and the vibrant Piazza del Plebiscito, alongside images of old port houses filled with the smell of fish, narrow Palermo streets, and impoverished children playing barefoot on the docks. It offers a final look at a bygone era, exemplified by a street milkman against the backdrop of Vesuvius, presenting a rich visual narrative of the Italian Mezzogiorno.