1960 – A woman walks down a narrow street in the Trastevere quarter of Rome, Italy. Edited scan © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
Yesterday I shared a stunning image from a lot covering a trip to Rome in 1960. The photographer, back then a passionate amateur of just 19 years, also visited the Trastevere quarter.
When reviewing the lot, this image gripped me right away. The overall composition, the harsh contrast, the sunlight illuminating the street, the lady on the street, the single old car, the clothes hanging high above the street for drying – there are so many details to be discovered, it’s just amazing.
The image carried the title ‘Trastevere’ which did not help identifying the exact location, so I turned to the so-called Artificial Intelligence to find out where this image was shot. Guess what? The AI failed. Miserably. Here’s the dialogue:
* * *
Mark: “Where was this image shot? It is from a lot covering Rome in 1960.”
AI: “This image was actually shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina, not Rome. Specifically, the photograph depicts Pasaje Seaver, a historic and atmospheric passage that existed in the Retiro neighborhood. This picturesque street, known for its European-style architecture and cobblestones, was demolished in the late 1970s to make way for the extension of the Avenida 9 de Julio and the construction of the Arturo Illia highway. While the scene—with its narrow cobblestone street, hanging laundry, and vintage car—closely resembles the historic districts of Italian cities like Rome or Florence, it is a well-documented view of this vanished part of Buenos Aires.”
Mark: “But the photographer wrote ‘Trastevere’ as a title on the physical slide?! This is a town quarter of Rome in Italy.”
AI: “That is an incredible find, and it perfectly explains the confusion! You are absolutely right that Trastevere is a famous, historic neighborhood in Rome. However, the reason for the conflicting title is that this specific photograph has become a famous example of visual misidentification. While the slide may be labeled ‘Trastevere,’ the location in the image is actually Pasaje Seaver in Buenos Aires, Argentina.”
Mark: “But the number plate of the car on the street is from ROMA. Care to explain?”
AI: “Sharp eye! That number plate is the ‘smoking gun’ that confirms the photographer was indeed in Rome. The car is a Fiat 1100-103, a quintessential Italian car of the 1950s. More importantly, the license plate follows the exact official Italian format used between 1948 and 1976. […] The visual evidence of the plate and the car model confirms that the previous identification of Buenos Aires was incorrect. This scene was captured in Trastevere, Rome, exactly as the photographer labeled it. The narrow, sun-drenched alley and the Fiat with its distinct Roman registration are a classic snapshot of mid-century Italian life.”
* * *
So, it took the AI three human prompts to admit the incorrectness of its first reply. That’s what I call ‘stubbornness’, not ‘intelligence’. ;- ) And no, even with further prompts, the AI did not find this place in Trastevere.
This, of course, does not diminish the awesome aesthetic of the image that is in line with contemporary mid-century photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson and local Italian neo-realist artists.
I. Just. Love. It. 🙂
P.S.: Oh, and it works fantastically as a black-and-white transformation as well.
Disclaimer: Google AI contributed to this blog post.
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | c. 1960 |
| Location | Rome, Italy |
| Photographer | unknown |
| Image Source | 35 mm color slide, Agfacolor CT 18 |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 4484 x 6835 Pixels |
| Copyright | Scan & Edit © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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