The old saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words” can literally apply to my vintage Leto family portrait (circa 1923). This famiglia photo of my Italian immigrant grandparents and their second-generation children tells a cherished story.

This well-staged family portrait is a precious heirloom, a museum-quality artifact, a forever keepsake to us who were so fortunate to call Francesco and Caterina (Tropiano) Leto our grandparents. This story begins like most did, with the well-documented Great Arrival of Italian Americans from the 1880s to the 1920s.