A keen eye
Milan in historical photographs of the Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli and Regina Elena
Photos of the Ca' Granda
The archives of the Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico (a general hospital in Milan) are home to a photo library that contains thousands of positive and negative images dating back as far as the 1860s and taken by dozens of professional photographers, including several key figures from the history of Milanese photography including Icilio Calzolari and Giulio Rossi. These snapshots offer an overview of the social and civil fabric of the city and the region.
La sala del Capitolo d’inverno o Capitoletto (1910/1920)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
The Sala del Capitoletto d'inverno (Winter Board Meeting Room). The shelving was installed in 1767 to accommodate archival documents.
Themes
The collection is based on four major themes: photographs showing the architectural appearance of the hospital buildings, starting with 19th-century shots of the Ca' Granda; images depicting aspects of hospital life; rural estates; and photo portraits of benefactors.
The hospital's architectural appearance
The oldest mementos of the hospital date back to the second half of the 19th century thanks to photographic series by Icilio Calzolari and Michele Torrani. These albumen prints mounted on cardboard are some of the most valuable works preserved in the archive.
“Corte grande” dell’Ospedale, completata nel 1649 grazie all’eredità Carcano (1881)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
The images by Icilio Calzolari – one of the most renowned Milanese photographers of his time – include various shots of the Sforzesco building as it appeared in 1881.
“Aula Paletta” per la didattica, intitolata al medico Giovan Battista Palletta (1747-1832) (1881)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
These photographs by Icilio Calzolari capture the facade, the main courtyard, the pharmaceutical laboratory, the Cortile della Ghiacciaia (Ice-House Courtyard) and the Aula Palletta (Palletta Hall).
Laboratorio Farmaceutico (1881)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
In the 1890s, the photographer Torriani captured the works being undertaken to reinforce the Ice-House Courtyard.
Cortile dei Bagni. Lavori di ristrutturazione con operai al lavoro sulle impalcature (1885/1895)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
In this series of shots, workers can be seen on the scaffolding; the women present in the photographs are the hospital's nurses.
Veduta animata del porticato del cortile dei Bagni (1885/1895)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
Padiglione coniugi Sacco (1929) a lavori appena conclusi (1929)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
From the end of the 19th century onwards, the hospital expanded with the addition of the Policlinico’s pavilions
Interno della Clinica pediatrica De Marchi (1915) (1931 circa)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
Of great interest also are the photo albums containing architectural images of the Istituti Clinici di Perfezionamento (Clinical Improvement Institutes) in the 1930s and 1950s.
Scenes of hospital life
The photographs depicting everyday life in the hospital allow us to gain an understanding of how it works, to appreciate certain official occasions and to get to know some of the most symbolic staff and doctors.
Un’ambulanza all’ingresso del Pronto Soccorso negli anni della Prima guerra mondiale (1915-1918 circa)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
Neonati in Mangiagalli (1951 circa)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
These albums also feature the staff, the little "in-patients" and the newborns of the Mangiagalli, Devoto and De Marchi clinics.
Ospedale Dermosifilopatico. Terrazza per l’elioterapia (1937)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
Pazienti del reparto meccanoterapico presso il padiglione Moneta, allestito con macchinari Zander nel 1902 (1920/1930)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
To immortalise the memory of those who worked to give the Ospedale Maggiore its good name, photo portraits of the doctors, presidents and hospital directors were taken.
Fotografia di gruppo del Consiglio dell’Ospedale Maggiore, dei medici e dei dipendenti, di fronte all’ingresso del Padiglione Guardia e Accettazione (1927)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
This photograph from 1927 shows the Board of Directors.
Thanks to some of the pictures, we can also trace the evolution of the various types of vehicles used to transport the ill and the injured, such as the late 19th-century ambulance-carriage...
L’“Ambulanza fluviale Litta” nella Darsena di Porta Ticinese prima del viaggio lungo il Po fino a Venezia (1898)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
...or the "Litta River Ambulance", an interesting project that aimed to bring medical assistance to people living along the Po River.
La Regina Elena visita l’Ospedale Maggiore, con lei la presidentessa della Commissione Visitatori e Visitatrici Gina Stucchi Prinetti, il prof. Luigi Mangiagalli, il presidente dell’Ospedale Luigi Lanfranconi, 14 aprile 1924 (1924)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
Numerous photographic prints bear witness to hospital-related ceremonies such as inaugurations, official visits, funerals, consecrations and periodic celebrations of the Festa del Perdono (Feast of Forgiveness).
During the Festa del Perdono in 1935, the Ospedale Maggiore's banner of honour was officially inaugurated.
Portraits of benefactors
The hospital's extensive and abundant activity over the years has been supported by the charity of its benefactors, who have bequeathed sums of money or property in wills and donations. Since the 17th century, the hospital has honoured and paid tribute to these people by commissioning a portrait of them. The extensive picture gallery of benefactors was thus created; it offers an endless source of information in terms of the history of not only the hospital, but also art and tradition. The family photos, often used as a model by painters, draw us in to the daily life of Milanese society.
Ritratto di Ida Boldoni (1925)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
In many cases, photography is a very useful tool in producing portraits that are as true to life as possible, and it becomes indispensable when subjects cannot sit for the artist.
Ritratto di Enrica Motta Moneta insieme a un’amica (1890 circa)Ca’ Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
The images discovered offer a fascinating overview of Milanese and Italian portraiture in the 19th and 20th centuries.
A variety of documents was discovered in the archive, including official photo portraits, entire family albums, ID documents with passport-style photos, and the occasional snapshot.
Daniela Scala
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