The Great War

In a very short lapse of time, photography has become the most immediate, simple, and comprehensible means of documentation and expression, the true universal language of our time. For some time now, photographic images have been generally recognized as historical documents, and while the use of photography during the First World War was not a complete innovation, it is well-known that the use of visual representation assumed a fundamental role in military and propaganda conduct precisely around the time of the Great War.

In the tragedy of the First World War, photography transformed the depiction of its events into a spontaneous and human document, often a masterpiece of truth and precision. From the days of mobilization to the final trench battles, the use of images was of extraordinary and unprecedented importance. Years later, we recognize that photography played a surprisingly greater role than initially anticipated.

The documentation presented here comes from the Photographic Archive of Museo del Risorgimento e della Resistenza in Vicenza.