This edition of the letters of Gustav Ludwig (1854-1905) for the first time brings together the large body of photographs of artworks – some of which he took himself – and the correspondence this Venice resident exchanged over the last ten years of his life with contemporaries such as Wilhelm Bode, Jean Paul Richter, Roger Fry, and Aby Warburg.

An introductory essay examines Ludwig’s pioneering efforts in the area of reconstructive photographic reproductions, his connections with the art market and links to illegal art exports, and his failed attempt to establish an international and interdisciplinary research institute in Venice.