This pioneering book offers the first account of the work of the photographers, both official and freelance, who contributed to the forging of Mussolini's image. It departs from the practice of using photographs purely for illustration and places them instead at the centre of the analysis. Throughout the 1930s photographs of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini were chosen with much care by the regime. They were deployed to highlight those physical traits - the piercing eyes, protruding jaw, shaved head - that were meant to evoke the Duce's strength, determination and innate sense of leadership in the mind of his contemporaries. The chapters in this volume explore the photographic image in the socio-political context of the time and shows how it was a significant contributor to the development of Italian mass culture between the two world wars.

Auteur
Alessandra Antola Swan is a cultural historian and independent researcher. Her PhD on Mussolini and photography was part of the project The Cult of the Duce. Mussolini and the Italians, 1918-2005. In 2013 she organised the ASMI conference Iconic Images and in 2016 she was guest editor for the follow up special issue of Modern Italy 2016.

Contenu

IntroductionPart I: Setting the Scene 2. The photograph as a source and agent of history3. Images in politics before MussoliniPart II: Production 4. The image makers of the Duce5. The corporate image: Istituto Luce6. The press-image: photojournalists and agencies7. The aesthetic image: Ghitta CarellPart III: Audiencing 8. The visual presence of the Duce9. Mussolini's early photographs10. Mussolini's photogenic charisma11. The emotional appeal12. Marketing Mussolini13. Conclusion