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  • © 2020

Photographing Mussolini

The Making of a Political Icon

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Offers the first account of the work of the photographers, both official and freelance, who contributed to the forging of Mussolini's image
  • Departs from the practice of using photographs purely for illustration and places them instead at the centre of the analysis
  • Explores the photographic image in the socio-political context of the time and culture of Italy between the two world wars

Part of the book series: Italian and Italian American Studies (IIAS)

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Table of contents (13 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xx
  2. Introduction

    • Alessandra Antola Swan
    Pages 1-18
  3. Setting the Scene

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 19-19
    2. The Photograph as a Source and Agent of History

      • Alessandra Antola Swan
      Pages 21-43
    3. Images in Politics Before Mussolini

      • Alessandra Antola Swan
      Pages 45-60
  4. Production

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 61-61
    2. The Image Makers of the Duce

      • Alessandra Antola Swan
      Pages 63-76
    3. The Corporate Image: Istituto Luce

      • Alessandra Antola Swan
      Pages 77-107
    4. The Press-Image: Photojournalists and Agencies

      • Alessandra Antola Swan
      Pages 109-143
    5. The Aesthetic Image: Ghitta Carell

      • Alessandra Antola Swan
      Pages 145-162
  5. Audiencing

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 163-163
    2. The Visual Presence of the Duce

      • Alessandra Antola Swan
      Pages 165-214
    3. Mussolini’s Early Photographs

      • Alessandra Antola Swan
      Pages 215-249
    4. Mussolini’s Photogenic Charisma

      • Alessandra Antola Swan
      Pages 251-279
    5. The Emotional Appeal

      • Alessandra Antola Swan
      Pages 281-315
    6. Marketing Mussolini

      • Alessandra Antola Swan
      Pages 317-342
  6. Modalities

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 343-343
    2. Conclusion

      • Alessandra Antola Swan
      Pages 345-351
  7. Back Matter

    Pages 353-393

About this book

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.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Independent Author, London, UK

    Alessandra Antola Swan

About the author

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.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Photographing Mussolini

  • Book Subtitle: The Making of a Political Icon

  • Authors: Alessandra Antola Swan

  • Series Title: Italian and Italian American Studies

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56506-0

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-56505-3Published: 11 December 2020

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-56508-4Published: 12 December 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-56506-0Published: 10 December 2020

  • Series ISSN: 2635-2931

  • Series E-ISSN: 2635-294X

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XX, 393

  • Number of Illustrations: 62 b/w illustrations, 40 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: History of Italy, Political History, Photography, Political Communication

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access