Giacomo Arena (1818-1906)

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"Young man, three-quarters length portrait, facing front," Giacomo Arena, salted paper print, 1860, Houghton Library, Harvard University

View images of Giacomo Arena's salted paper prints and paper negative.

Giacomo Arena worked as a photographer in Naples from the 1860s to the 1880s and became associated with the Fratelli D’Alessandri studio of Rome. In 1899, he came to New York where he operated a photographic studio with his family. In addition to views of architecture, landscape, and archaeological sites of Pompeii, Arena also showed considerable skill in portraiture. His beautifully composed images with their rich tonal range reveal Arena’s artistry and technical ability. The Horblit Collection at Houghton Library holds numerous salted paper prints, paper negatives, and photographic apparatus belonging to Arena.

 

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"Unidentified woman, three-quarters length portrait, seated with right elbow resting on table," Giacomo Arena, salted paper print, 1850, Houghton Library, Harvard University