Photos of the valleys

Previous Next

Agostino Fasciati: The Sciora peaks, with Cengalo and Badile, undated Fasciati, born in Soglio in the Val Bregaglia, was a teacher and a socialist militant. From the 1920s he dedicated himself to the production of postcards. (Giacometti photo archive, Promontogno)

Agostino Fasciati: Tower of the Castelmur fortress and the church of Our Lady near Promontogno (Val Bregaglia), undated. (Giacometti photo archive, Promontogno)

Agostino Fasciati: Soglio, Val Bregaglia, undated. (Giacometti photo archive, Promontogno)

Agostino Fasciati: Cattle market in Maloja, Engadine, undated. (Giacometti photo archive, Promontogno)

Agostino Fasciati: Portrait of three boys from Bregaglia, undated. (Giacometti photo archive, Promontogno)

Giuseppe Furger: Mesocco (Val Mesolcina), undated. Furger, a carpenter born in Mesocco, spent some years living in Paris, which is probably where he learned the techniques of photography. (private collection)

Giuseppe Furger: The last bear in the Mesolcina, 1893. (private collection)

Giuseppe Furger: Portrait of "Silvi", undated. (private collection)

Giuseppe Furger: Landsturm, local militia mobilised in case of war, 1895. (private collection)

Giuseppe Furger: Portrait of a boy, undated. (private collection)

Francesco Olgiati: The village of Brusio in the Val Poschiavo, 1899 As the son of coffee house owners from Poschiavo who emigrated to Spain, Olgiati could indulge in his passion for photography without worrying about money. (Luigi Gisep photo archive, Poschiavo)

Francesco Olgiati: Changing the bulb in a street lamp in Poschiavo, 1900. (Luigi Gisep photo archive, Poschiavo)

Francesco Olgiati: The Pozzolascio inn, on the Bernina pass road, 1900. (Luigi Gisep photo archive, Poschiavo)

Francesco Olgiati: Wedding procession on the village square, Poschiavo, 1900. (Luigi Gisep photo archive, Poschiavo)

Francesco Olgiati: Winter landscape at Millemorti, Val Poschiavo, 1902. On the right a camera mounted on a tripod. (Luigi Gisep photo archive, Poschiavo)

• Picture 1
• Picture 2
• Picture 3
• Picture 4
• Picture 5
• Picture 6
• Picture 7
• Picture 8
• Picture 9
• Picture 10
• Picture 11
• Picture 12
• Picture 13
• Picture 14
• Picture 15

Three pioneer photographers in the Italian-speaking areas of Graubünden.

By 1880 enthusiasm for photography had spread to the most far-flung areas of the Alps. The magazine Quaderni grigionitaliani has published a special feature on three pioneers: Giuseppe Furger (1865-1921), Agostino Fasciati (1864-1942) and Francesco Olgiati (1871-1953). Some of the pictures have not been seen before.