ANTISEMITISM - ANTICLERICALISM - MORTARA CASE - Lot 262

ANTISEMITISM - ANTICLERICALISM - MORTARA CASE Edgardo Mortara and his mother, ca.1879. Photograph. Albumen print mounted on cardboard in carte-de-visite format and signed, dated and dedicated with the words "A prayer for the conversion of my poor mother" by Mortara in ink on the back. Small dent at top. In 1858, Edgardo Mortara, a young Jewish child, was captured by the papal authorities and taken away from his parents to be placed in the Catechumen house in Rome. In fact, the Jewish family's Christian maid, who had been caring for the child shortly after his birth, had undressed him, fearing his death. In this context of risk to the life of a newborn child, canon law, which was also civil law in the Pontifical States, permitted this act through a simple blessing performed by a Christian. Having become a de facto Christian, and to avoid the apostasy of living with Jews and thus excommunication, Pope Pius IX ordered his abduction. What came to be known as the Mortara Affair became an international scandal, and many personalities protested, including Napoleon III, the Count of Cavour and representatives of the Catholic, Protestant and Jewish religions. The consequences for the Papal States were disastrous, and the Church's stubbornness in keeping the child in spite of the parents' actions helped the Italian Unity movement, and was one of the many reasons for the lack of reaction when the Papal States were annexed by Italy. This event also reinforced anti-clerical ideas in Europe. After becoming a priest and then a canon, Edgardo moved closer to his mother. Years later, she converted to Catholicism. The photograph shown here was a gift from Edgardo to Abbé Hébrard. He also added the words "Souvenir de reconnaissance et d'amitié à l'Abbé Hébrard. A prayer for the conversion of my poor mother" and dates the dedication to November 11, 1879.