Firmin-Eugène Le Dien (1817 - 1865) Italy, 1852 - 1853. Roman Forum. Temple of Vespasian and Titus. Salt paper print from a waxed paper negative, mounted on cardboard. Number "74" in the negative lower left. 32 x 22.5 cmFirmin-Eugène Le Dien travelled to Italy in 1852-1853, accompanied by the painters Léon Gérard and Alexandre de Vonne . He produced a large number of calotypes, a technique he learned from Gustave Le Gray. We do not know if the latter went to Rome during this period, as there is no evidence of such a trip. On the other hand, the two men probably planned to publish these prints together, as evidenced by the stamp discovered by Hans Kraus "Italy - Photographed by Le Dien and Gustave Le Gray". As the authors of Primitives of Photography (BnF, 2010) suggest, in the current state of knowledge, the paternity of the shots taken in Rome belongs to Firmin-Eugène Le Dien. The prints, on the other hand, could be the work of Gustave Le Gray. Firmin-Eugène Le Dien (1817-1865) Italy, 1852-1853. Roman Forum. Temple of Vespasian and Titus. Salt print, mounted on cardboard. Number "74" in the negative. 32 x 22.5 cm