Campo San Margherita Annan, James Craig  (Scottish, 1864-1946)

"Campo San Margherita" is a striking vertical composition taken in 1894 during Annan’s visit to the Campo San Margherita piazza in Venice. Ahead of its time, this slice of life study showing the interaction of a market vendor and customer can be considered a milestone in both pictorial photography and photogravure. The photogravure, personally etched and printed by Annan, accompanied an extensive overview of his career which appeared in the June 1897 issue of the Bulletin d’Association Belge de Photographie along with numerous halftones of his work. Running a full 16 pages, (pp. 401-417) the article also discussed a touring exhibition of his work in Belgium, including several installation photos and a review. The same image was included in Annan’s 1896 portfolio, Venice and Lombardy.

References

Bulletin : Association Belge de Photographie. Bulletin. Bruxelles: 1897. Vol. 24  Vol. XXIV p. 375 June No. 6