Petersplassen, Roma, ca 1900

Italian archive established in Florence in 1852. Fratelli Alinari is the world’s oldest photographic firm, founded in Florence, Italy, in 1852. Its archives contain 5.5 million photographs, ranging from daguerreotypes to modern digital photos from around the world. In 1852, Leopoldo Alinari, along with his brothers Giuseppe and Romualdo, founded a photographic studio specializing in portrait photography, as well as photographs of art and historical monuments.