Alberto della Valle

Born in Naples to a colonel in the Army of the Two Sicilies, he abandoned a military career to pursue painting and drawing after being introduced to art by his brother-in-law, the painter Edoardo Matania.^[1] Matania introduced him to the Milanese publisher Emilio Treves [it] (1834–1916), who employed him from 1880 onwards to work on the weekly magazine L'Illustrazione Italiana.^[2]

He then settled in Genoa, becoming best known to the general public as the illustrator of over 21 adventure novels by Emilio Salgari. These novels sold hundreds of thousands of copies in late 19th-century Italy and later throughout Europe. Initially employed by the Genoese publisher Alberto Donath, he then worked for Bemporad in Florence from 1907 onwards. Della Valle assisted the illustrator Giuseppe Garuti.^[2] Together with Gamba and Gennaro d'Amato, he formed a trio of illustrators who worked mostly for Salgari.^[3]

Della Valle's illustrations were reproduced in numerous periodicals, including La Domenica dei Fanciulli, La Via Azzurra, Il Giornale Illustrato dei Viaggi, La Domenica Illustrata and Il Mattino Illustrato.^[1]

In 1900, della Valle married Maria Cobianchi, heiress to a hotel chain, and returned to Naples with her. However, following her death from a painful illness in 1909, he descended into a deep depression. On 24 December 1928, in Naples, della Valle ended his life by shooting himself in the head.^[1]