The photographic campaign of 1849, which originally began as a collection of "classic" views of Rome, was later modified by events related to the defense and fall of the Republic.

Lecchi’s salted papers constituted a significant element in collections put together by collectors who wanted to preserve the memory of the events and protagonists of the sustained struggle.

If the initial print run of the photographic specimens was quite limited, they later became widely known through the numerous “translations” that contemporary lithographic publishing drew from them.