The photographic images preserved in Villa La Pietra date from around 1870 to 1994 and are extraordinarily varied in subject matter. With a grant from the Delmas Foundation the approximately 16,700 items (positives, negatives, and images on glass) were organized and indexed in 2002-2005 and have become the Acton Photograph Archive at Villa La Pietra. The subjects include the interior and garden of Villa La Pietra, documenting their appearance from when the villa was purchased by the Acton family in the first years of the 20th century up to the time of the death of Sir Harold in 1994. Family photographs range from Hortense Mitchell’s childhood in Chicago and her early travels to Europe, as well as Arthur’s father Roger Acton in Egypt, and vintage prints of Arthur’s art student days in New York. From the time of Arthur and Hortense’s residence at Villa La Pietra, where they lived all their lives bringing up their two children, Harold and William, there are numerous images, including stereoscopic glass slides, and black-and-white photographs of the family.
