ALBUM, L' (literary and fine arts journal). - An illustrated Roman weekly (first of 4, then of 8 quarto pages), founded and edited by Giovanni de Angelis, published from 8 March 1834 to 3 May 1862.
Also owing to the modest subscription price (Rome, 2.30 scudi; provinces and abroad 3.10; a single issue 5 bajocchi), it became the preferred reading of the middle classes. Of a predominantly elementary encyclopedic character, it later dealt with arts, sciences, travel, and curiosities. Among its amusements were Nini’s «cifre figurate» (rebus). Its archaeological and biographical articles were interesting, whereas its contemporary literary production was poor; very numerous were the copper-engraved portraits; useful for the urban history of Rome were the inscriptions collected by A. Belli. Having managed, by cautiously remaining silent about events, to survive during the Republic and the siege in 1849, it fell thirteen years later, the victim of a banal journalistic mishap. It had in fact published a salacious tale, a prose summary of a «novella galante» by Casti: immediate suppression followed.