The holdings were collected by Rino Zavatti during his stay in Somalia, between 1937 and 1939, while he was working for Repetto Constructions, first as an administrative clerk and then as manager of the roadways layout design, in charge of a long section of the connecting road between Mogadishu and Neghelli.
They consist of 216 photographs and 2 postcards. His son Adriano is their current owner.