The Berenson Fototeca is a collection of approximately 150,000 black-and-white photographs of Italian artwork, especially paintings and drawings from the 13th to the end of the 16th centuries. Berenson believed in capturing artwork in photograph form in order to enable the study of the creative process and the creation of these works. The photographs are 3.9 x 5.9 inches and include the name of the artist, the subject, and the location of the original artwork, if known. The collection includes the works of artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo, as well as, Cavallini, Filippino Lippi, Parmigianino, Sodoma, and many others.
Bernard Berenson was born in Lithuania in 1865 but he later moved to the United States with his family when he was eight years old. He studied at the Boston Latin School before he later studied at Harvard University. With the patronage of Isabella Stewart Gardner and others he went to Europe and immersed himself in the study of Italian art, becoming a "connoisseur" in the field. Bernard Berenson met Mary Smith Costelloe (née Smith) in England in 1891 and they eventually married in 1900. During his time in Europe, Berenson compiled a vast and varied collection of photographs of Italian artwork. These famous pieces of art were photographed by various photography firms, such as Fratelli Alinari. Berenson's goal was to amass a vastly varied collection of illustrative material, focusing on Italian paintings and drawings from the 13th to the end of the 16th century, to allow for the study of Italian artwork. Bernard Berenson died on October 6, 1959 and bequeathed his estate to Harvard University. At the time of his death, Berenson's collection contained approximately 150,000 photographs.
After Berenson's death, his estate was passed to Harvard University and the Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies opened at the Villa I Tatti, Berenson's former home, in 1961. Under the suggestion of art historian Sydney J. Freedberg, a new project was launched in 1963 and continued until 1975. The project supplied twelve subscribing institutions with 3.9 x 5.9 inch prints of Italian paintings and drawings, dating from the 13th to the 16th centuries. The photographs included the name of the artist, the subject, and location of the original, if known.
