Are you ready to meet the man who inspired this entire exhibition project—not only through his biographical journey but even more so through his library, numismatic, and antiquarian collections?
Here is Cesare Poma, the Consul, the scholar, presented through the treasures of the Vatican Library and the works of Kristjana S Williams. His biography, diplomatic career, and interests are showcased in a large triptych map. The artist draws the visitor into an extraordinary narrative that unfolds across three contiguous panels, spanning from the Americas to the Far East. Within them, we find Poma’s places of study, the destinations of his diplomatic service, glimpses of the world taken from books and photographs preserved in the Vatican Library, roads and modes of transport also extracted from literary and documentary materials, all masterfully transfigured by the Icelandic illustrator’s creative genius.
Beneath this vivid biographical epic, another story unfolds, delicately rendered in watercolor. It serves a dual role: as an inspiration for the main narrative and as a referenced object within it. Visitors will quickly recognize the Chinese scroll depicted at the top of Poma’s bio-bibliographical map, created by Williams, who drew inspiration from this very artifact for her storytelling.
The scroll, mounted on silk, is a Qing-era geographical map titled Qī shěng yánhǎi quán yáng tú—“Complete Map of the Coastal Areas of the Seven Provinces with a Detailed Description of the Chinese Coastline.” It was originally produced for military and defensive purposes.
The Poma Periodicals Collection
Alongside the scroll and the map, visitors can admire five examples from the 1,200 periodicals collected by Cesare Poma throughout his lifetime and preserved in the Vatican Apostolic Library since 1932. These periodicals bear a characteristic red-bordered handwritten label—personally inscribed by the consul—to indicate the language of each issue.
Khalsa Gazette (first published June 1886) – A Punjabi-language weekly printed in Gurmukhi script in Lahore, Pakistan.
Bollettino Italiano (first issue: May 4, 1902) – The first Italian newspaper in China, founded by Cesare Poma himself, intended for the growing community of foreigners in the country. It stood out among imperial gazettes as an illustrious example of periodical press.
Guo Wen Bao (founded in 1897) – A Chinese-language newspaper with eight pages, aligned with Japanese interests. Its political stance led to its brief existence.
El Cacique Lambaré (founded July 24, 1867) – A bibliographic rarity, this Paraguayan biweekly, written entirely in Guaraní, was a symbol of national identity and historical consciousness during Paraguay’s brutal war against the Triple Alliance. It ceased publication after only thirteen issues in September 1868.
Djeridei-Lissan (first published in Constantinople, August 1899) – A bilingual periodical in Ottoman Turkish and Ladino (Judeo-Spanish). Ladino was spoken by Sephardic Jews, descendants of those expelled from Spain and Portugal in 1492, and remained widespread throughout the Mediterranean.
El Cacique Lmbarè, Gwo wen bao, Djeridei Lissan, Kalsa Gazette from the collection Poma Periodici © Vatican Apostolic Library
The Scholarship Initiative
The Poma Periodicals Collection is so vast and diverse (spanning multiple languages, countries, and fields of interest) that it cannot be cataloged by a single person or even a small team. As a result, a scholarship program has been established, enabling young catalogers from around the world and officials from major national libraries to collaborate with the Vatican Library’s experts.
With the support of Maison Dior, this cultural initiative will fund the description, cataloging, and eventual digitalization of the entire collection, making it freely accessible online worldwide. Digitalization will also ensure the preservation of these extremely fragile originals, reducing the need for direct handling.
Only then will we fully appreciate what the South Wales Daily News described in its August 11, 1899 issue as:
“The most complete collection extant of the newspapers of the world.”
The Tools for Traveling
fter encountering Consul Poma, we will explore travel in all its forms. The Vatican Library houses numerous books on travel, carefully displayed in protective cases, that recount 19th-century travel culture—starting with Jules Verne, the greatest adventure novelist of his time.
Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days sparked the global travel craze, and among the exhibition’s rare volumes are: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers (Paris, 1908) – Also from Merry del Val’s collection; Le secret de Wilhelm Storitz (Paris, 1910) – Part of the Benedetto Guglielmi collection, as revealed by an ex libris; Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-vingts Jours (Paris, 1908) – From the personal library of Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val y Zulueta, Secretary of State under Pope Pius X.
Alongside novels, the exhibition features 19th-century travel guides, including: Cook’s Travel Guides – Published by Thomas Cook, founder of the world-renowned travel agency, which ceased operations only in 2019; the famous Baedeker guides (red covers, gold lettering, thin quarto-format pages), published by Karl Baedeker (1801-1859), a pioneer of modern guidebooks; Travels in Europe, for the Use of Travellers on the Continent (Paris, 1833) – By Mariana Starke, a British travel writer; Murray’s Handbooks for Travellers – A classic British series.
An especially fascinating artifact in the exhibition is the Carte Vélocipédique des Environs de Paris (Paris, 1898). This bicycle map of Paris, published only a decade after bicycles became widespread in France, reflects their rapid adoption in urban mobility.
Traveling without Traveling
Lastly, the exhibition reveals that one can travel without ever leaving home—as demonstrated by Emilio Salgari (1862-1911), Italy’s greatest adventure novelist. The creator of Sandokan, the Black Corsair, and the Tigers of Mompracem, Salgari never left Italy, nor even his native northern region. One of his most imaginative works, Al Polo Australe in velocipede (To the South Pole by Bicycle, Paravia, 1897), is on display.
Writers of the late 19th century relied heavily on illustrated encyclopedias to fuel their imagination. Among the featured works is Nouveau Larousse Illustré (1898–1904), an encyclopedic dictionary directed by Claude Augé.
A special highlight is a board game inspired by Nellie Bly, the groundbreaking journalist who, in 1889, set out to beat Phileas Fogg’s fictional record and successfully traveled around the world in just 72 days!
Launched by The New York World (under Joseph Pulitzer) the day after her triumphant return, this board game allowed players to relive her incredible adventure from home, competing in a real-life “Game of the Goose”.
This exhibition is more than just a display—it is an invitation to travel, whether through physical journeys, books, or the boundless power of imagination.
Next: In dialogue with Kristjana S Williams – Leroy e Papillaud