Luigi Fiorillo facts for kids

Luigi Fiorillo (born 1847, died 1898) was an Italian photographer. He took many pictures in the Middle East and parts of Africa. He is known for his early photos of places like Egypt, Algeria, Palestine, and Eritrea.

Life as a Photographer

A group of lepers in Jerusalem.

Church of the Holy Sepulcher, during a foot washing ceremony, around 1880.

Luigi Fiorillo started taking photos in North Africa around 1870. He worked in countries like Egypt, Algeria, Palestine, and later Eritrea. He even opened his own photo studio in Alexandria, Egypt.

His work was shown at big events around the world:

• In 1871, he showed his photos in Naples, Italy.
• In 1878, he went to the World's Fair in Paris, France. He received an award there.
• He also won awards at international shows in Ottawa, Canada (around 1879), and Boston, USA (1884).

In 1877, Luigi Fiorillo joined an important trip to East Africa with the Italian Geographical Society. This group explored new lands and mapped them.

Later, in the 1880s, he became the official photographer for Prince Mohammed Toussoun Pasha. The Prince was the son of Sa'id, who ruled Egypt and Sudan. This was a very important job!

Capturing History

Luigi Fiorillo used his camera to record important events.

• In 1881, he photographed a revolt by the Egyptian army. This army was led by a man named Ahmed ʻUrabi.
• The next year, in 1882, he took pictures of the damage after the British navy attacked Alexandria. This happened during the Anglo-Egyptian War.

Between 1887 and 1888, he went on another trip. This time, he joined an Italian army group in Eritrea. They were trying to get back areas that Italy had lost to Ethiopia. In Eritrea, Fiorillo took many photos with two other photographers, Edoardo Martinori and Francesco Nicotra. They took 142 pictures showing what the Italian army was doing in the area.

In 1890, Fiorillo started a business with A. Marques. Their studio was called "Marques & Fiorillo photographers & editors" in Aswan, Egypt.

His Studio After His Death

Luigi Fiorillo passed away in 1898. But his photo studio kept going! His sons and his wife continued the business until the 1920s.

Later, one of his sons, Federico, moved to Rhodes. At that time, Italy ruled Rhodes. Federico opened a photo studio there and another one in Leros. When Italy lost World War II, Rhodes became part of Greece. In 1947, Federico Fiorillo and his children had to leave Rhodes and move to Bari, Italy.

His Work Lives On

Luigi Fiorillo's amazing photos are still important today. In the winter of 2014, a special show about his work was held at the Palazzo Rosso museum in Genoa, Italy. His pictures help us see what life was like in the Middle East and Africa over 100 years ago.