Roberto Donetta (1865–1935): A photographer in the Ticino

Abstract

The history of the Canton of Ticino, the Italian-speaking Swiss territory to the south of the Alps, was until recently profoundly marked by emigration. In fact, only after the Second World War did the Canton experience the economic development which has detennined its present-day identity. The period in which Roberto Donetta was active as a photographer in the Valle di Blenio was one characterized by extremely hard living conditions, due to a difficult terrain where arable land was limited. The contribution of emigrants to the economy of the valley consequently proved to be of vital importance (especially those who worked in France and Great Britain). The Roberto Donetta Archives contain more than five thousand plates and about five hundred prints. The Commune of Corzoneso became the owner of the material on the death of the photographer, thus preventing its dispersal. For more than thirty years the plates had been forgotten in a bam, which contributed, possibly, towards their ultimate preservation. The Archives are housed in the Casa Comunale of Corzoneso, which is responsible for the supervision and conservation of a considerable quantity of archive material of major interest for research in both the photographic and historical fields. Donetta's life was marked by severe economic problems which lead him to depend on public (communal) assistance. On his death the Commune of Corzoneso auctioned off the few belongings previously owned by the photographer in order, in part, to retrieve the money spent for his maintenance. Whereas his household goods did find buyers his photographic plates, on the other hand, were of interest to no one and, in consequence, remained the property of the Commune.