La famiglia nel mondo

The set of photographs contained in this case and taken from the Fratelli Alinari Museum of the History of Photography in Florence, illustrate the family in various cultures of the world. Aside from anthropological and culturalhistorical differences, the idea of family has many elements in common. The woman is always the determining figure even if she interprets marital decisions, surrounded by children, husband and other women (since polygamy was practiced in many cultures). From Europe to Asia, the Americas to Africa the concept of family is solid and serene. Also determining is the aspect of the custom and place in which the family is portrayed. Aside from the varying numbers composing the groups and the different geographical contexts, recurrent elements appear in all these images: from the prescribed order of form, to elements of context, to the symbolic composition of the groups in a patriarchal sense. All these pictures contain elements, evidence of traditions, customs, mores that no longer exist.