Wilhelm von Gloeden (1856-1931), vintage photo print on salted paper depicting "Young Siciliana in traditional clothes", c 1911. Signed at the top right. Numbered "37" and hallmarked on the back. Foxing stains on the reverse."Wilhelm Von Gloeden was a German-born photographer who spent most of his life in Sicily, specifically in Taormina, a city that he chose as a second home. It was the youth health issues to take in the peninsula. Specifically, the choice of Taormina is linked dreamy ideal of Sicily that the photographer releases in his pictures through the choice of models dressed as always.He began his career as a hobby, but soon his pictures became famous thanks to the publication in London in 1893 of a snap her.His work is now recognized internationally and is mainly related to nude photos featuring young subjects and clothes that go back to classical antiquity.In fact its production is far more extensive and characterized by a wide range of photos devoted to news reports, such as those dedicated to the earthquake that destroyed Messina in 1908, the Taorminese landscape and its ancient ruins, but also to local people, such as farmers, in traditional robes. It was these photos, often used as postcards, to increase the myth of the city and its tourism. The Taormina Von Gloeden is indeed the late nineteenth century a fascinating and mysterious city that attracts intellectuals and artists from all over Europe, but really poor and economically still underdeveloped. It was precisely the reason that often drove young taorminesi to agree to pose nude for the goal of Von Gloeden, who because of his erotic vein initially was not well received by the local population and the ecclesiastical authorities.By the time the photographer was accepted by the local community and continued its production made based on photos of young taorminesi portraits such deities with ornaments classic taste. This production lasted roughly until the First World War.Today it is widely recognized internationally not only for the issues addressed above all for its technical quality. His photos are in fact cleverly balanced and studied with al'uso lighting and the installation of the subjects. In addition to its innovation lies in the experimentation in the field of photographic filters and precautions taken in respect of its models. Just think of a lotion that was often used to clear skin blemishes of his photographic subjects. Interesting to see that despite the criticisms against him, his photography has never resulted in really pushed and explicit erotic intent, always remaining true to a composition-oriented classical construction and mythological. " ASORstudio