Riccardo Carbone spent half a century capturing images of his home city of Naples. In the 1920s, his hobby as an amateur photographer blossomed into a career when he persuaded the proprietors of “Il Mattino” newspaper to publish his work. His work as a pioneering photojournalist continued uninterrupted until his death in 1973.
Carbone’s photographic archive is an asset of national importance, documenting key political and cultural events and charting social change over a fifty-year period. His back catalogue consists of around half a million images, many of which remain unexplored. A charitable foundation, led by his son Renato, are painstakingly making these photos available as a free online resource. They are around around five per cent of the way through the task.
A significant focus of Carbone’s work was football, capturing images from across the Campania region; notably Napoli, Salernitana and Juve Stabia but also amateur clubs and some early examples of women’s football. We’ve picked out some highlights, but encourage you to explore the archive for yourself.
A dusty pitch at Stadio Collana for Napoli – Salernitana 8/9/1946
A goalmouth scramble in Salernitana – Roma 20/4/1952
A spectacular backdrop for Juve Stabia – Catania 6/1/1952
Construction of Stadio Diego Armando Maradona – 22/4/1957
The women’s team of Secondigliano – 4/2/1959
An anxious-looking Napoli bench (& oblivious child!) – 13/4/1962
The foundation are inviting donations to help in their mission, in particular, the professional restoration of images that have deteriorated in storage. You can donate an amount of your choosing here.
Alternatively, you can support the project by purchasing prints from the website.
Calcio England 