Istantanee di natura. Achille Forti e la fotografia botanica del primo Novecento in Italia

A collection of 1705 photographic plates by Achille Forti (1878–1937), housed at the Botanical Garden of Padua, reveals the pivotal role of early 20th-century photography in botanical science. Forti, a renowned algologist and scientist-photographer, leveraged photography as an indispensable tool for research, documentation, and communication, blending disciplinary expertise with photographic mastery. Unlike traditional botanical illustration, which emphasized selective specimen features, Forti's photographs capitalized on the perceived 'objectivity' of the medium, capturing nature's details with precision. This study highlights how Forti's work bridged the gap between traditional and photographic methods in Italian botany, demonstrating photography's transformative potential in scientific practice during this era.

Ciancio, L., Pizzato, F. A., & Tenca, A. (2025). Pratiche fotografiche. Comune di Verona. https://doi.org/10.61006/nc202500