The images that appear in this timeline are reproduced from and also appear in ‘The Time of the Lion’ (Generali, 2015) or from public domain. Generali would like to thank once again all those who have contributed to the wealth of imagery in this book. The images that appear in this timeline are from the following sources:
2nd period
Second Period
Establishment
The age of consolidation, of diversification, of setting records
1851
Generali invests in the fields
The company acquires a vast area of marshland at Caorle and transforms it into a state-of-the-art agricultural project, with accompanying village equipped with all modern-day amenities.
1855
The start of welfare of the workers
Generali establishes a pension fund to protect and safeguard the families of deceased employees.
1856
At the height of the empire
In the space of ten years average profits rise by 50% and Generali takes the top spot in the Austro-Hungarian insurance market. Its share capital doubles in value.
1857
On the Trieste Stock Exchange
Amid the ongoing prosperity of both Generali and the city of Trieste, the company is listed on the stock exchange in the city of its birth.
1857
A railway line to growth
The Southern Railway line is completed, connecting Trieste to the capital, Vienna. Now the city’s port is directly linked to the centre of the empire.
1860
The difficult decade
Trieste goes though a bad patch. Business stagnates, and eight of the 22 insurance providers close. Generali also feels the pinch.
1860
The first lion
An official company mandate published May 19th 1860 by the Generali’s Parma office remains today the oldest document in the company archives to feature the winged lion as the official logo.
1869
A canal to prosperity
1869 brings the opening of the Suez Canal, the brainchild of Assicurazioni Generali director Pasquale Ravoltella among others. The new canal reaps instant rewards, bringing unprecedented maritime trade into the Mediterranean and of course, Trieste.
1870
Italy united, Generali in a position of strength
With the addition of Rome, the construction of the new nation of Italy is realised. In Rome itself, the publication L’Assicurazione names Generali, with its head office in Venice, Italy’s number one insurance company.
1875
Italians strike gold
The recession of 1873 moves Generali to protect its shareholders, who are mostly Italian, paying out dividends of 20 gold Francs.
Credits
1856 - At the height of the empire
Europe in 1923 - George W. Bacon -U.S. Library of Congress, Washington
1857 - A railway line to growth
The Southern Railway - Karl Waage - from Signori si parte!, Edizioni della Laguna, 2011 courtesy of Marina Bressan
1860 - The difficult decade
The Villafranca Square - Raffaele Pontremoli - Museo della Battaglia di San Martino, Desenzano del Garda (BS) courtesy of Società Solferino e San Martino
1875 - Italians strike gold
Assault on the Fourth National Bank of New York by savers - Illustration from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, October 4, 1873