Starsinvenice sells prints and reproduction rights of the images of Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche based in Venice, Italy. Scanning its around 300,000 negatives and glass plates is a work in progress, we have now 2,000 images displayed online.

The Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche is part of the archive of the Cameraphoto press agency of Venice, Italy, active from 1946 to 1987. The last owner sold it in 1987 after splitting it in two:

  • - Archivio Cameraphoto EPOCHE (Personalities and Events - and much more, please read below),
  • - Archivio Cameraphoto ARTE (Artwork reproductions).

A deeper description follows.

Four decades from last century: Venice, 1947 – 1987.

Three hundred thousands of mostly unpublished black and white images: 4 x 5 negatives on glass plate leaving place over time to 4 x 5 images on film sheet, then to 120 rolls during the Fifties replaced by 135 cartridges from early Seventies on. Such is the content of the Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche archive in numbers.

A quick peek at it and we can't help falling in love with long-gone faces, places and events whose strength still pops out of each contact print and is now history: movie stars and art/culture personalities, day and night views of Venice and of the surrounding countryside, gossip, crime, sports and local news, artwork or prints reproductions. Local events like high tides, strikes and protests, celebrations, floods, regattas, the Venice Carnival, regional and period costumes... You name it and it's there.

Many different hands respectfully took care of this collection for 70 years, tagging them as best as possible: fountain pen notes come with earlier images, then typewriter fonts on index cards classify them. Data are nowadays put into a spreadsheet.

A brief chronology:

 

1946

Venetian photographer Dino Jarach sets up the Interfoto photo agency, whose reportages get immediate success in the photojournalism world: he portraits famous people visiting Venice for the International Movie Festival, for the Art Biennale or for leisure.

1956

Dino Jarach moves to Milan and sells his agency to Giselda Paulon who changes its name into Camerafoto.

1958

Giselda Paulon sells the agency to Mirko Busatto who turns its name into Cameraphoto. Mirko loves photography but is not a photographer, so he starts a partnership with the venetian photoreporters Walter Stefani, Celio Scapin, Claudio Gallo (in the agency since late 1940s) and Duilio Stigher (in the agency since 1958).

1963

Mirko Busatto sells the agency to his four partners Stefani, Scapin, Gallo and Stigher. Their wonderful job through the next 15 years leads to worldwide reputation and to a partnership with Associated Press: their images are published on most international newspapers.

1978

Celio Scapin becomes the sole owner of the agency, shifting it towards artwork reproduction and documentation of artwork restorations.

1987

Celio Scapin shuts his photo agency down and sells its huge collection of images, splitting it into two different archives:

  • - Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche which holds the historical archive (personalities and all listed above, 1946 to 1987).
  • - Archivio Cameraphoto Arte including artwork reproductions.

2010

Carlo Pescatori purchases rights on the whole Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche archive content and his Starsinvenice is born.

Carlo Pescatori