Teaching with Images Between 19th and 20th Centuries: the Case of the Italian School Publisher Paravia

Abstract

Favoured by poverty of images in Schoolbooks and by a constant reference of programmes to their presence in class, the Italian production of wall paintings increased progressively, so much to be not only a significant area of educational planning, but also a rich field of economic investment. This market has been managed for a long time by northern publishers, in particular by Vallardi (Milan) and, most of all, Paravia (Turin), the production of which covered all disciplines. The paper wants to investigate the issue on two fronts: on the one hand the different kind of wall paintings, thier main characteristics and the review of this material in the light of new didactics and of changed political climate. On the other, the mode in which market was shared, the relations between producers and the different strategy of promotion in teachers’ journals. Sample was the case of Paravia: thanks to a broad promotional strategy and to its relations with the Ministry, it acquired a large slice of market during the first half of the 20th Century.

Keywords

• school publishers
• pedagogy
• politics
• wall chart