IDNO

P.8001.ACH1

Description

On Catalogue Card: Italian types, Ripley, pp. 256, 270, 250. [sic p.250]

Three sets of frontal and profile head and shoulder portraits of three uniformed men, used to illustrate the types of men found in Piedmont, of Ischia, and Sardinia, Italy. [JD 27/10/2009]

Place

S Europe; Italy; Piedmont; Island of Ischia; Sardinia; Sassari

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Livi (Captain; Dr.)

Collector / Expedition

Ripley, William Zebina [Author]

Date

Collection Name

Mounted Haddon Collection

Source

Format

Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Publication: All six images were published in Ripley, William Zebina, 1900, The Races of Europe; a sociological study (Lowell institute lectures) (London, K. Paul Trench, Trübner & co., ltd), p.250, figs. 79-84 with the following captions:
“ITALY.
79-80. PIEDMONT. Eyes and hair light br
81-82. ISLAND OF ISCHIA. Eyes and hair dark brown. Index 83.6.
83-84. SASSARI, Sardinia. Deep brunet. Index 76.2.” [Full text available on Internet Archives, www.archive.org/details/raceseurope00ripluoft, JD 27/10/2009]

Bibliographical Reference: The following text is found in Ripley, 1913, pp.250-252:
“Comparison of our portrait types, obtained through the courtesy of Dr. Livi, will emphasize this fact. Our first page exhibits the transition from north to south, which appears upon our map of cephalic index, as it appeals to the eye. The progressive narrowing of the face, coupled with the regular increase in the length of the head from front to back, can not fail to attract attention. The phenomenon is precisely similar to that which was illustrated in our first page of German portraits at pages 218 and 219; except that in this case dolichocephaly increases toward the south, not as in Germany toward the north. The upper portrait is described to me as peculiarly representative of a common type throughout Piedmont, although perhaps in this case the face is a trifle longer than is usual in the harmonic Alpine race. This Alpine type in northern Italy is the most blond and the tallest in the kingdom. The upper types on both our portrait pages represent fairly the situation. The hair is not seldom of a lightish brown, with eyes of a corresponding shade. This, of course, does not imply that these are really a blond and tall people. Compared with those of our own parentage in northern Europe, these Italians still appear to be quite brunet ; hair and eyes may be best described on the average as light chestnut. Standing in a normal company of Piedmontese, an Englishman could look straight across over their heads. For they average three to five inches less in bodily stature than we in England or America ; yet, for Italy, they are certainly one of its tallest types.” [Source: Internet Archives, www.archive.org/details/raceseurope00ripluoft, JD 27/10/2009]

Photographer: Ripley quotes the following as the sources for the above photographs:
“79-80. Original ; loaned by Captain Dr. Livi, of Rome. . . . 195 178
81-82. Original ; loaned by Captain Dr. Livi, of Rome. . . . 188 157
83-84. Original ; loaned by Captain Dr. Livi, of Rome. . . . 193 147.” (Ripley, 1913, LIST OF PORTRAIT TYPES. XXV). [JD 2/11/2009]