1. VITTORIO SELLA. Southern Valleys (Ingur): Young Married Couple, c. 1889-1890 Sella number CVI 852. 7.6x4.5" collodion print, printed c. 1892-1893, mounted on 11x8.1" heavy brown board. Print recto embossed with artist's credit stamp in bottom right corner; 852 inscribed in negative. Inscribed in ink on mount recto: 852. / Young married couple; in pencil: CVI. Stamped in black ink on mount verso: Depose / Tous Droits Reserves / V. Sella - Biella. Alternate title in Freshfield: Peasants at Gebi.
2. VITTORIO SELLA. Southern Valleys (Ingur): Young mother at Gebi [Racha, Village Ghebi, Georgia], c. 1889-1890, Sella number CVI 848. 7.6x4.6" collodion print, printed c. 1892-1893, mounted on 11x8.1" heavy brown board. Print recto embossed with artist's credit stamp in bottom right corner; 848 inscribed in negative. Inscribed in ink on mount recto: 848. / Young mother at Gebi; in pencil: CVI. Stamped in black ink on mount verso: Depose / Tous Droits Reserves / V. Sella - Biella. Alternate title: A front door at Gebi.
3. VITTORIO SELLA. Southern Valleys (Ingur): A Street of Gebi [Racha, Village Ghebi, Georgia], c. 1889-1890, Sella number CVI 849. 7.6x4.5" collodion print, printed c. 1892-1893, mounted on 11x8.1" heavy brown board. Print recto embossed with artist's credit stamp in bottom right corner; 849 inscribed in negative. Inscribed in ink on mount recto: 849. / A street of Gebi; in pencil: CVI. Stamped in black ink on mount verso: Depose / Tous Droits Reserves / V. Sella - Biella; inscribed in pencil: VS/1252.

Along with being a mountaineer and photographer, Sella was also an energetic businessman. In 1886 he formed a bank, Gaudenzio Sella & Co., with three of his brothers and three cousins (as of 1999, "The Sella Group"). In 1899 he and his family started a modern viticulture program (vineyard) in Sardinia, known today as "Sella & Mosca." His other business venture was the distribution, exhibition, and sale of his mountain views. Like other large format photographers of the time - William Henry Jackson, Carleton Watkins, Bisson Freres, Roger Fenton, the Alinari Brothers, and Samuel Bourne - Sella produced a catalog of mountaineering photographs that numbered 100 views in 1882. By 1888 that number had grown to 534. Sella had a field and studio assistant named Emile Bota. He preferred to manage his own distribution. Later he worked with Spooner in London from 1882 to 1917 and when Spooner died, he moved his work to Sifton Praed. His photographs were exhibited widely in climbing, geographical, and exploration clubs and societies throughout Eurasia and North America. In the United States, the Appalachian Mountain sets were shown at over 100 venues in the 1890s and 1900s.

1. 852 Good: moderate wear overall, some areas of heavier scuffing; silver mirroring in darkest shadow areas of image. Mount somewhat dirty, edge wear, large section of upper L corner missing; smaller area of upper edge missing, repaired with modern board.
2. 848 Good: Moderate wear overall, some areas of heavier scuffing. Mount somewhat dirty, small area of lower R corner missing.
3. 849 Good: Moderate wear overall; small areas of damage on upper R edge of print; 1" scuff on middle R edge. Mount somewhat dirty, edge wear, upper R corner missing.