La Galleria delle Macchine nella Sezione Svizzera
Catalog Level
Items (Cataloging Focus)
Title Proper/Title Text
La Galleria delle Macchine nella Sezione Svizzera
Author/Creator Identity
Fratelli Dal Rio
Date of Publication/Creation Date
May 30, 1911
Inscription Language
Italian (Language)
Related Built Environment Objects
Related Components
Descriptive Note Text
This is a photograph titled “La Galleria delle macchine nella Sezione Svizzera” (The Machinery Gallery in the Swiss Section). The photo is taken from high up, probably from an upper gallery, looking down and across a large industrial exhibition hall. The building has a light iron or steel frame. On the right, exposed lattice trusses support the roof, and tall rows of windows let in a lot of daylight. A mezzanine gallery runs around the hall at the second level. Festoon garlands decorate its railings, and behind them are smaller displays: framed panels, charts, posters, and display cabinets. Several tall open-lattice pylons rise from the floor through the space. Swiss flags with the white cross hang prominently from the left balcony and from the pylons and gallery on the right. A heavy overhead traveling crane spans the left part of the hall. At the upper right, a bucket hangs from cables strung between the lattice towers, resembling a working demonstration of an aerial ropeway or cableway. That was a technology Swiss engineering firms were known for.
The lower left is crowded with woodworking machines: at least two tall band saws with large spoked wheels, along with planers, jointers, and saw tables with cast-iron bases. A wide central aisle crosses the hall diagonally, with rail tracks set into the floor, probably used to move heavy exhibits into place. On the right, a raised exhibit platform with a railing holds more machine tools and benches. Deeper in the hall are larger, heavier machines: housed units, flywheels, and what may be motors, generators, or industrial processing equipment.
Overall, the image presents Switzerland as a modern industrial nation through precision machinery, transport technology, and engineering.
Related Work/Label Identification
This photograph was published in Giornale Ufficiale, n° 23, May 30 1911, 361.
Related Archival Material
Current Repository/Geographic Location
Cristina Della Coletta Private Collection (San Diego, USA)
Current Repository Numbers
CDC-MA-GUIL-0001-360-3