Beyond the Rugged Country

This collection is a posthumous collaboration and restoration project. I am the proud custodian of a vast library of photographic negatives taken by my grandfather, Paul Cason, in Italy during World War II. Rescuing, cataloguing, digitally processing, restoring and enhancing the once forgotten negatives has been a labor of love, but the results are captivating and speak for themselves. The collection includes 41 scenes, selected for their uniqueness, beauty and subject matter.

My grandfather was a welder in the Army Air Corps during World War II and stationed in southern Italy for nearly two years after the German and fascist retreat north. He spent time in Florence, Rome, and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. From January 1944 to August 1945 he captured post-war Italian life in a series of over a thousand photographs. A mere handful had previously been developed — as small, wallet-sized photographs. I do not know if my grandfather knew how incredible his photographs were. I wish I knew more of their greater context, but still I am drawn to the story that each one tells.

If you have any questions about the collection, please get in contact.

La Conversazione.

I Comunisti.

Girls in Search of Water, Italy, c. 1944.