Vittorio Sella

Vittorio Sella (1859–1943) was an Italian photographer and mountaineer, who took photographs of mountains which are regarded as some of the finest ever made. [cite book |title=K2: The Story of the Savage Mountain|last=Curran|first=Jim|authorlink=|coauthors=|year=1995 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|location=London |isbn=978-0340660072|pages=p. 25|quote=Sella is still remembered as possibly the greatest ever mountain photographer. His name is synonymous with technical perfection and aesthetic refinement.] [cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/2229995/Frozen-in-Time-Vittorio-Sella.html |title=Frozen in Time: Vittorio Sella |accessdate=2008-08-08 |work= |publisher="The Daily Telegraph" |quote=...described by both climbers and photographers as the greatest mountain photographs ever made]

Sella was born in Biella in the foothills of the Alps and acquired his interest in Alpinism from his uncle, Quintino Sella. He made a number of significant climbs in the Alps, including the first winter ascents of the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa, [cite book |title=K2: The 1939 Tragedy|last=Kaufman|first=Andrew J.|authorlink=|coauthors=Puttnam, William L.|year=1992 |publisher=Mountaineers Books|location= |isbn=978-0898863239|pages=p. 170] and the first winter traverse of Mont Blanc.cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/2229995/Frozen-in-Time-Vittorio-Sella.html |title=Frozen in Time: Vittorio Sella |accessdate=2008-08-08 |work= |publisher="The Daily Telegraph"] He took part in several expeditions further afield, including three to the Caucasus (where a peak now bears his name),cite web |url=http://www.photomuseum.org.ge/sella/index_en.htm |title=Vittorio Sella |accessdate=2008-08-08 |work= |publisher=The Georgian Museum of Photography] to Mount Saint Elias in Alaska, to the Rwenzori in Africa, and the 1909 expedition to K2 and the Karakoram. The latter three expeditions were in the company of Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi. Sella continued to climb into his old age, and made his last attempt on the Matterhorn at seventy six. The attempt failed when one of his guides was injured in an accident.

The high quality of Sella's photography was in part due to his use of 30×40 cm photographic plates, in spite of the difficulty of carrying bulky and fragile equipment into remote places. He had to invent equipment, including modified pack saddles and rucksacks, to allow these particularly large glass plates to be transported safely. [cite book |title=K2: Challenging the Sky |last=Mantovani |first=Roberto |authorlink= |coauthors=Diemberger, Kurt |year=2004 |publisher=White Star Editions |location= |isbn=978-8854001169 |pages=pp.41 |url= ] His photographs were widely published and exhibited, and highly praised; Ansel Adams, who saw thirty-one that Sella had presented to the US Sierra Club, said they inspired "a definitely religious awe". [Joanna Wright and Robin Lenman, "Mountain Photography". In "The Oxford Companion to the Photograph" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005; ISBN 0-19-866271-8).] Many of the photographs he took were of mountains which had not been previously recorded and so have historical as well as artistic significance; for example by recording the retreat of glaciers in the Rwenzori.cite web |url=http://rwenzoriabruzzi.com/sella.html |title=Vittorio Sella |accessdate=2008-08-09 |work= |publisher=Rwenzori Abruzzi Centenary Celebrations |date=2006 ]

Sella died in Biella in 1943. His collection of photographs is now managed by the Sella Foundation.

References

External links

* [http://panopt.com/images.php?a=10# Collection of Sella's photographs at Panopticon Gallery]