Un secolo di immagine. Nascita e sviluppo della corporate identity di una grande impresa: il caso Ansaldo (1853 - 1966)

A Century of Image. The Birth and Development of the Corporate Identity of a Major Company: The Ansaldo Case (1853–1966) Abstract This research investigates how Ansaldo constructed its public image between 1853 and 1966. Originating from an inquiry into corporate welfare practices and their communicative potential, the thesis progressively evolved in light of archival research and engagement with existing scholarship. This process challenged the initial hypothesis that Ansaldo systematically and deliberately employed welfare as a tool of corporate identity. As a result, the research focus was redefined and expanded to encompass the diverse expressive forms through which the company, both consciously and unconsciously, shaped its identity over time. The methodological approach combines tools from business cultural history, media history, and visual communication studies. Central to the analysis is the concept of Medienverbund, understood as an integrated and coordinated network of media practices that can reveal a company’s communicative intent—even when such intent is not explicitly stated. The investigation is organized into five thematic sections—architectural, photographic and cinematic, editorial, social, and symbolic—each of which contributes to delineating an aspect of Ansaldo’s identity, conceived as a coherent yet never fully systematized "image." The analysis of heterogeneous sources—booklets, photographs, architectural drawings, films, house organs, corporate monographs, posters, and event materials—demonstrates how Ansaldo conveyed its identity in multiple, often indirect ways, adapting languages and forms to different stakeholders. The architecture of company buildings, shipyards, summer camps, as well as editorial and iconographic production, are treated not merely as documentary evidence but as true communicative devices. The thesis shows that the construction of Ansaldo’s public image developed through layered and often episodic processes, which nonetheless proved effective. Attention is also given to reception dynamics, where traceable, and to comparisons with other Genoese industrial enterprises, such as Cornigliano and Italsider. Ultimately, the thesis proposes an innovative methodology for studying corporate identity—one that enhances the understanding of business cultures through visual and material languages, by integrating historical, semiotic, and media analysis.