"You may have the universe," composer Giuseppe Verdi once said, "if I can have Italy." Back in the mid-19th century, Verdi's emotive language appealed to the patriotic sentiments of an emergent nation state.

After decades of struggle and bloodshed, the movement known as Risorgimento triumphed with the 1861 proclamation of Italian Unity, assembling disparate kingdoms, territories, and borders that had hitherto been ruled by Austria, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Papal States.

Today, Verdi's call to Italy resounds not only for its native patriots, but for the millions around the world who look upon this peninsula shaped like a boot and delight in a land of light, art, and sensuality.

This collection is a fascinating visual document of Italy at the turn of the century, gathering photochromes and vintage colored prints.