The Brown University Library and the Department of Italian Studies are pleased to announce that the launch of Garibaldi and the Risorgimento, a web-based archive for the study of one the protagonists of Italian reunification and 19th century Europe. The centerpiece of this one-of-a-kind resource is a digitized version of the Garibaldi Panorama, one of the finest surviving examples of panoramic art. The archive can be accessed at http://dl.lib.brown.edu/garibaldi/.
Completed in 1860 and donated to Brown by the late Dr. James Walter Smith in 2005, the Garibaldi Panorama measures 4 ½ feet high and 273 feet long and is one of the longest paintings in the world. The Garibaldi Panorama isa “moving” panorama, meaning that audiences watched as illustrations of Garibaldi’s life were cranked out before them, including such seminal moments as his involvement in the Italian Risorgimento, escape to South America, failed defense of the Roman Republic in 1849, and triumphal expedition to Sicily, in 1860. In order to replicate this experience, Brown Library staff pieced together individual digital images of the painting into a seamless whole. Users can zoom in and out on specific scenes, listen to a voiceover narration based on the manuscript, in both Italian and English, and read explanatory notes about events depicted in the panorama. Accompanying the panorama is a collection of some 400 prints from illustrated newspapers that chronicle the movement for Italian Unification. The original manuscript narration has also been digitized. Enhancements to the site are ongoing.
“The panorama is a unique artifact, both as a historical source on Garibaldi and his times, and a fascinating specimen from the pre-history of cinema,” said Massimo Riva, Professor of Italian Studies. “An international team of scholars is currently working with the Brown Library to create a multidisciplinary resource, centered on the panorama and other visual materials, which will include historical essays, annotations and bibliographical references. Eventually, the site will be a tremendously valuable tool for scholars and students.”
“Garibaldi and the Italian Risorgimento is an invaluable resource for students of history, media, and popular culture,” said Harriette Hemmasi, Joukowsky Family University Librarian. “This is a testament to the ways that digital technologies have revolutionized how rare and archival materials can be accessed, utilized, and integrated into research and teaching. I am so pleased to be able to share this superb example of panoramic art with virtual visitors from around the world. My hopes are that it will encourage students and scholars to engage with the history of this time in a more dynamic manner and will inspire new lines of inquiry and research.”
The Library’s Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection, the Department of Italian Studies and Vincent Buonanno, Class of ’66, contributed to the project’s funding. Original manuscript material is drawn from the private collection of Dr. David Kertzer.