A topographical cabinet card showing a view of the Rialto bridge in Venice. The Ponte di Rialto is the oldest of the three bridges spanning the Grand Canal and one of the most famous bridges in the world. The present stone bridge, a single span designed by Antonio da Ponte, was finally completed in 1591.

Photographed by Carlo Ponti of Venice.

Carlo Ponti studied photography in Paris in the 1840’s. In 1852, he obtained a license to produce and sell photographs in Venice. He ran the first of the big photographic businesses in the city, producing albums with architectural views of great artistic sensitivity. He was also the inventor of camera lenses suitable for panoramic photography.