Summary

Blank colour postcard featuring a reproduction of work by Giovanni Fattori "Il brigante legato" (The robber tied) created in 1895. It is part of a series of Carabinieri postcards printed by Stab. L. Salmone in Rome, circa 1990. It depicts two Italian Carabinieri on horseback guarding a robber. It was brought to Australia by an Italian migrant.

The Arma dei Carabinieri (Carabinieri) was created by King Victor Emmanuel I of Savoy, with the aim of providing the Kingdom of Sardinia with a police corps in 1814. After the unification of Italy the Carabinieri were appointed the First Force of the a newly founded Italian Army in 1861. In 2000 they became a separate branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The Carabinieri undertake both civilian police work and military work.

The uniforms depicted on the postcard is the initial uniform of the Carabinieri which consisted of dark blue pants and jacket with silver braid around the collar and cuffs, edges trimmed in scarlet and epaulettes in silver. The mounted division had white fringes and, the infantry had light blue. Their headgear was a distinctive hat with two points popularly called the lucerna. The Carabinieri still use a version of this historic uniform today for ceremonies.

Physical Description

Rectangular postcard, printed in colour and featuring reproduction of work by Giovanni Fattori: "Il brigante legato (1895)". The picture depicts rural scene with a man seemingly asleep underneath a tree. Beside him are two men in military uniform on horse back. It would appear that the man under the tree is a prisoner, as a rope extends from one of the horse men down behind the seated mans back.The reverse side of the postcard is cream in colour with some print and markings in grey ink. markings in grey ink.

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