HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GUIDE TO RESEARCH

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HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GUIDE TO RESEARCH

The purpose of this guide is to introduce library users to the standard reference tools for research in the history of photography and to help them make better use of the RIT Library collections and those of other libraries with substantial holdings of primary and secondary source materials for the study of the discipline. Photographic history is a relatively new field, and thus photographic research often requires a large measure of persistence and ingenuity from the library user. The annotations provided for each title listed below, describe the scope of the work and should help the researcher determine if the source is pertinent to his or her interests.

Selected Books on Photographic History

The list below provides a selected bibliography of titles dealing with the history of Photography.

OVER TR 15.N6813 1998
Frizot, Michel, editor. A New History of Photography. Koln: Konemann, 1998.
This massive history offers an encompassing history of photography. Orginally published in French, this translation inlcudes a section on methods of producing photographic prints as well as an extensiver bibliography.

OVER TR15.M273 2002
Marien, Mary Warner. Photography: A Cultural History. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2002.
An extensive thematic exploration of the history of photography. Includes a useful timeline and bibliography.

OVER TR15.N47 1978
Newhall, Beamont. The History of Photography from 1839 to the Present Day. New York: Museum of Modern Art in collaboration with the George Eastman House, 1978.
This excellent class history provides a solid foundation.

OVER TR139.R67 2000
Rosenblum, Naomi. History of Women Photographers. Updated and Expanded Edition. New York: Abbeville Press, 2000.
An examination of the history of women photographers from 1839 to 2000. Includes a thorough biographical and bibliographic section.

OVER TR15.R67 1997
Rosenblum, Naomi. A World History of Photography. 3rd edition. New York: Abbeville Press, 1997.
This new classic on the history of photography inlcudes a timeline, glossary and a bibliography.

Databases with Historical Images

AMICO (Art Museum Image Consortium)
http://wally.rit.edu/special/amico/call.html
The Library subscribes to The AMICO Collection which has over 5,000 historical and contemporary photographs in the digital image database. Two key collections -- George Eastman House and the Center for Creative Photography -- are included in the database along with strong photographic holdings in other museums.

AP (Associated Press) Photo Archive
http://wally.rit.edu/electronic/apphoto/apphoto.html
The Library subscribes to this key newspaper image collection. Over 750,000 current and historical news images. Most of the images are contemporary but key historical news events are included as well.

Bibliographies and Library Catalogs

The titles described here list books, periodical articles, and other sources about many aspects of the history of photography and related disciplines such as graphic design and printing. They are a good place to survey the literature on a specific topic and will help the researcher direct his or her search of the local library catalog.

REF Z7134.B37
Barger, M. Susan, comp. Bibliography of Photographic Processes in Use Before 1880: Their Methods, Processing, and Conservation. Rochester: Graphic Arts Research Center, Rochester Institute of Technology, 1980. Indexes nineteen English-language photography journals and includes references to other nineteenth-century sources. Brief annotations.

REF Z7134.B6
Boni, Albert. Photographic Literature: An International Bibliographic Guide to General and Specialized Literature on Photographic Processes, Techniques, Theory, Chemistry, Physics, Apparatus, Materials and Applications, Industry, History, Biography, Aesthetics. 2 vols. New York: Morgan & Morgan, 1962, 1972. Classified listing of over 12,000 monographs, periodical articles, and pamphlets. Best coverage in photographic science areas, but a good source of basic historical writings. Annotations are given for each entry. International scope.

REF Z7137.C72
A Catalogue of the Epstean Collection on the History and Science of Photography and its Applications, Especially to the Graphic Arts. New York: Columbia University Press, 1937. Covers monographic and some periodical literature on the history, technology and aesthetics of photography. Supplemented by Authors and Short Title Index, Epstean Collection: Books on Photography and its Applications in the Graphic Arts in the Rare Book Department of Columbia University Library (New York: Columbia University Library, 1938. (REF Z7137.C721).

REF NK1160.D5 1991
Designers International Index. 3 vols. London: Bowker-Saur, 1991. Extensive bibliography of periodical articles, monographs, exhibition catalogs, and reference sources which includes listings for over 2,300 photographers. Emphasis is on twentieth-century artists, though major nineteenth-century figures are included. Organized by artists' names with media and country indexes given in volume 3. International scope.

REF TR510.G3 1924
Gamble, William Burt, comp. Color Photography: A List of References in the New York Public Library. New York: The Library, 1924. A list of 2,355 references to books and periodical articles published between 1761 and 1923. Chronological arrangement with author and subject indexes. Very brief content annotations for some entries.

REF TR145.G47 1984
Gernsheim, Helmut. Incunabula of British Photographic Literature: A Bibliography of British Photographic Literature 1839-75 and British Books Illustrated with Original Photographs. London: Scholar Press, 1984. 1300 entries arranged by bibliographical type-photographically illustrated books, journals, etc. Indexes to photographers, authors, and artists. Annotations describe publication history of items, not content. Based in part on the Gernsheim Collection at the University of Texas.

REF TR145.H438 1989
Heidtman, Frank. Bibliographie der Photographie Deutschsprachige Publikationen der Jahre 1839-1984: Tecknik, Theorie, Bild. 2nd rev. and enl. ed. 2 vols. Munich: K.G. Saur, 1989. 24,000 citations to non-periodical German-language titles on the history, aesthetics, sociology, and technology of photography. Entries are grouped by broad subjects with a detailed key word index provided in volume 2.

REF TR15.J64 1990
Johnson, William. Nineteenth-century Photography: An Annotated Bibliography, 1839-1879. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1990. Over 21,000 citations to books and periodical articles published between 1839 and 1989, most in English. The bibliography is based largely on a selective, but systematic analysis of 56 nineteenth-century photography and general interest periodicals. The majority of the bibliography is devoted to works about individual photographers, the remainder to general works about the history and applications of the medium and other topics.

REF Z1023.L33 1991
Lambrechts, Eric, and Luc Salu. Photography and Literature: An International Bibliography of Monographs. London: Mansell, 1991. Lists 3,900 titles in twenty languages in the following categories: prose or verse works with photographic illustrations, books about photographic work by writers, anthologies of writings on photography by a single author, works exploring the relationship between photography and literature, books containing portraits of writers, and books containing photographs of 'places memorable in literature.' Arranged alphabetically by author with extensive cross-references.

REF Z7137.I57
Library Catalog of the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House. 4 vols. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1982. Lists approximately 30,000 monographs on the history, aesthetics, technology, and science of still and motion picture photography by their authors, titles, and Library of Congress subject headings.

REF Z7137.R89
Library Catalogue. London: Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, 1939. Lists of monographic and periodical literature on the history, aesthetics, and technology of still and motion picture photography. Supplements were issued in 1952 and 1953 and are bound with the library's copy of the 1939 catalog.

REF Z5961.U5A77
Newhall, Beaumont. "Photography." In Arts in America: A Bibliography. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979. Volume 3, Section N. Annotated bibliography of books, periodical literature, exhibition and collection catalogs covering all aspects of photography. Includes a lengthy list of publications about individual photographers.

REF TR145.N48 1984
Photographica: A Subject Catalog of Books on Photography Drawn from the Holdings of the New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1984. A listing of the 8,000 monographic and periodical titles held by the Research Libraries of the New York Public Library on all aspects of photography as of December 1971. Arrangement by subject only under 120 Library of Congress subject headings. Individual photographs and photograph collections are not included. Many titles listed here are available in the History of Photography microfilm series (Microfilm 6439).

REF Z7134.P46
Photography. Oxford: Clio Press, 1982. Annotated bibliography generated from the Artbibliographies Modern database includes monographic and periodical literature published between 1972 and 1979. Emphasis is on fine arts photography although commercial photography and photo-journalism are also included.

REF TR15.R665 1989
Roosens, Laurent, and Luc Salu. History of Photography: A Bibliography of Books. London: Mansell, 1989. Includes citations to over 11,000 books, exhibition catalogs, dissertations, offprints, and other published sources. Coverage is comprehensive for publications issued before 1914, selective for those issued after that date. Subject arrangement with an author/personal name index starting on page 399. International scope, but strongest for European photography.

REF TR15.S2
SB. No. 1- . Antwerp: European Society for the History of Photography, 197?-Date. Bibliographies on topics such as "Theses and Dissertations in the Field of the History of Photography," "Art and Photography," "Photography: Criticism, Theory, Interpretation," and the extensive two-part "Books on Photo-History" by Laurent Roosens and Luc Salu. Some titles are annotated and most provide international coverage of the topic.

REF Z5931.A67
Van Haaften, Julia. "Photography." In Guide to the Literature of Art History. Chicago: American Library Association, 1980. Section O. Annotated bibliography of 112 key monographs on the history of photography. No works on individual photographers are listed.

Indexing and Abstracting Services

Indexing and abstracting services provide precise access to periodical literature and are useful tools for locating both current and retrospective material. Indexes group together by subject, articles, reviews, and even reproductions appearing in many different periodicals published during a specified time period. Coverage of photography periodical literature is quite incomplete: many important publications are not indexed by any service, and material published before the 1970s is generally accessible only through citations in books, catalogs, and bibliographies. The indexes and databases to fine arts literature included below provide essential coverage of photographic literature. General periodical indexes (Readers Guide to Periodical Literature and New York Times Index, for example) may also be helpful for many topics. Current volumes of the titles and back issues are available at the indicated call numbers in the Index area on the 2nd floor. "Current Photography Periodicals" lists all current subscriptions. Einstein, the RIT Library catalog, should be consulted for local holdings of earlier material and periodicals in other disciplines.

Art Full-Text. Indexing 1984 -. Abstracts 1994 - . Monthly. Selected Full-text beginning 1997 - .
Electronic format: RIT Library Web Page: Databases and Resources
http://wally.rit.edu/electronic/art/art.html
Print Issues: INDEX N1.A1A68. Vol. 32-38 1983/84-1989/1990.

Art Index Retrospective. Indexing 1929-1984. Citations and Abstracts.
Electronic format: RIT Library Web page: Databases and Resources
http://wally.rit.edu/electronic/artretro/artretro.html
Print Issues: INDEX N1.A1A68. Vol. 1-32. 1929-1983/84.

Artbibliographies Modern. Indexing. 1974 - present.
Electronic Format:.RIT Library Web Page: Databases and Resources
http://wally.rit.edu/electronic/artbib/artbib.html
Print format back issues: INDEX N1.A79. Vol. 1- 24, 1969-93. Semi-annual.

INDEX TR1.I49
International Photography Index. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1977-1980 Annual. Most complete index to periodical literature about fine arts photography and photographic history during the period of publication. It covered approximately 110 photography and art journals and general interest magazines.

INDEX TR1.P8812
Photography Magazine Index. Santa Rosa, Calif.: Paragon, 1978-1985. Annual. Covers twelve popular photography magazines. Material is arranged in a classified scheme and no detailed subject or author indexes are provided, making the source tedious to use.

INDEX TR15.P46
Photohistorica: Literature Index of the European Society for the History of Photography. Antwerp: The Society, 1978-Date. Irregular (two or three issues a year). Covers about 75 photography and art journals and general interest magazines. Fine arts emphasis, but material about technical and commercial aspects of photography is also included. Annotations are given for each entry. International scope.

Illustration Indexes

These sources provide access to reproductions of photographs published in selected books and exhibition catalogs. They are useful aids to locating examples of a photographer's work, a particular photograph, or photographs of a specific subject.

REF TR199.M67
Moss, Martha. Photography Books Index: A Subject Guide to Photo Anthologies. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1980. Photographer and subject indexes for reproductions published in 22 photography anthologies.

REF TR199.M67 1985
Moss, Martha. Photography Books Index II: A Subject Guide to Photo Anthologies. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1985. Photographer and subject indexes for reproductions appearing in 28 books published between 1955 and 1982 including several standard histories and volumes 7 to 16 of the Time-Life Encyclopedia of Photography (first edition).

REF TR199.P37
Parry, Pamela Jeffcott. Photography Index: A Guide to Reproductions. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1979. Photographer and subject indexes for reproductions published in 83 books and exhibition catalogs related to fine arts, journalistic, and documentary photography.

Biographical Sources

The general biographical sources listed here are but a sample of the many specialized tools now available for research about the lives and work of individual photographers. A more thorough list of collective biographical sources available at RIT Library is given in "Photographic Biography: A Guide to Resources" (a user guide available at the Take-One Rack in the Reference Area).

Amy Stark's Researching Photographers (Tucson: Center for Creative Photography, 1984, REF TR145.R4 1984) provides information about basic research methodology for photographic biography and a list of standard general sources. Photographers: A Sourcebook for Historical Research (Brownsville, Calif.: Carl Mautz Publishing, 1991, REF TR15.P43 1991) includes several essays on the methods and sources for biographical research about photographers, emphasizing nineteenth-century practitioners. The second section of the work, "Directories of Photographers: An Annotated World Bibliography," is an extensive list of published and unpublished sources, most of which have specific geographical orientations.

REF TR9.A89 1985
Auer, Michel, and Michele Auer. Encyclopedie internationale des photographies de 1839 a nos jours: Photographers Encyclopedia International, 1939 to the Present. 2 vols. Hermance, Switzerland: Editions Camera Obscura, 1985. Entries for 1,600 photographers working in all genres give biographical data, lists of exhibitions, bibliographical citations to works by and about the subjects, and illustrations of their work. International scope.

REF TR139.B767 1983
Browne, Turner, and Elaine Partnow. Macmillan Biographical Encyclopedia of Photographic Artists & Innovators. New York: Macmillan, 1983. Entries for approximately 2,000 nineteenth- and twentieth-century fine arts and commercial photographers, photo-scientists, critics, teachers, and museum and gallery personnel give basic biographical and directory information, publications, and collections. International scope.

REF TR139.C664 1995
Contemporary Photographers. Detroit: St. James Press, 1995. Extensive biographical data, including exhibitions, collections, and publications for over 750 twentieth-century photographers. Statement by the photographer and illustration given for each entry. International scope.

REF TR139.G36 1990/91
George Eastman House Photographers Biography File. Rochester, N.Y.: International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, 1990. Brief biographical data (dates, place of activity) and in some cases, bibliographic references, for over 35,000 nineteenth- and twentieth - century photographers. Produced from the IMP/GEH database of biographical information on photographers.

REF TR139.W664 v.3
Women Photographers in the Collection of the Women in Photography International Archive as of January 1, 2000 : Biographical and Resource index, A-Z . Arcata, Calif. : Women in Photography International Archive, 2000.

Directories of Photograph Collections

The titles given below describe permanent collections of photographs in public and private institutions. Directories of museum collections, historical societies, libraries, and galleries, such as American Art Directory (REF N50.A54), Internationales Kunst-Adressbuch: International Directory of Arts (REF N60.I6), and Official Museum Directory (REF AM10.A2O4) are also useful sources of information about collections that include photographs, describing the scope and size of the holdings and institutional access policies. A more comprehensive listing of photograph collection directories and guides to picture research techniques is given in "Picture Searching: Selected Resources" (a user guide available at the Take-One Rack in the Reference Area).

REF TR12.M4 1990
Eskind, Andrew H., and Greg Drake, eds. An Index to American Photographic Collections. 2nd enl. ed. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1990. Listings for 540 public collections of prints and other photographic material. Each entry includes address, contact, a brief description of the collection, and a listing of all photographers and the type and number of works by each in the collection. Geographic arrangement with an index of 32,000 photographers' names (with life dates).

REF TR199.G838 1984
Guide to Canadian Photographic Archives. Ottawa: Public Archives Canada, 1984. Description of almost 9,000 collections of historical photographs held by 139 Canadian institutions (the government, educational institutions, libraries, private companies, museums, etc.) permitting public access to their collections. Entries list the type and number of works in the collections, describe their subject content, and give the inclusive dates of the photographs. Provides repository, subject, and photographer indexes.

REF TR12.G85 1984
Guide to Local History Photograph Collections in the Rochester Region. Rochester: Local History Committee of the Rochester Regional Research Library Council, 1984. Describes types of materials, subject matter, finding aids, contact people, accessiblilty, and services available to researchers for Rochester area libraries, archives, historical societies, and museums with photograph collections. Subject, geographic, special collections, and identified photographers indexes are provided.

REF TR12.P43 1987
Pearce-Moses, Richard. Photographic Collections in Texas: A Union Guide. College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 1987. Comprehensive list of photographs held by libraries, historical societies, universities, museums, government agencies, corporations, and other public agencies in Texas. Extensive annotations for large collections include size, subjects, types of photographs, photographers' names, research assistance and publication requirements. Brief descriptions and contact information are given for smaller collections. Geographic, personal name, photographer, and subject indexes are provided.

REF F851.U56
Union Guide to Photograph Collections of the Pacific Northwest. Portland: Oregon Historical Society, 1978. Description of photograph collections held by historical and art museums, historical societies, educational and religious institutions, government agencies, and private collectors in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Entries give information about the size of the collections, material formats, subject areas and photographers of special interest, accessibility to researchers. Provides subject, photographer, and organization indexes.

REF TR12.N37 1977a
Wall, John, ed. Directory of British Photographic Collections. New York: Camera/Graphic Press, 1977. Descriptions of 1,600 public, private, and commercial collections of photographic prints and negatives. Entries give owners, addresses, contacts, dates, subjects, size of collection, photographers and other information. Includes an index to about 1,000 photographers represented in the collections.

Reprint Series

These series provide access to early material central to the history and development of photography. Many of the sources reproduced in these series are quite rare and available in their original form in a limited number of specialized research libraries or in private collections, and thus, are virtually inaccessible to most researchers.

Microfilm 6436
Early Rare Photographic Books. Series A. London: World Microfilms, 1979. Sixty-two nineteenth-century works in English, most technical treatises. Listings for all titles in the series are included in the library catalog.

Microfilm 6535
Faber Birren Collection of Books on Color. Woodbridge, Conn.: Research Publications, 1983. Reprints (including color reproductions) of 497 monographs published between 1558 and 1940 selected by Faber Birren from his own collection and from those of the Royal College of Art, New York Public Library, and Harvard University Libraries, covering all aspects of color including its application in photography and other graphic arts. Listings of all titles by author, title, and subject are given in The Faber Birren Collection of Books on Color: Guide and Index to the Microfilm Collection (REF Z7144.C7F32 1983).

Microfilm 6439
History of Photography. Woodbridge, Conn.: Research Publications, 1979-1982. 2,195 monographs and 100 periodicals in English, German, and French published in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Complete listing of titles in the series is given in History of Photography: Bibliography and Reel Guide to the Microfilm Collection (REF TR15.H573 1982).

Microfilm 6461
Roy Stryker Papers, 1912-1972. Sanford, N.C.: Microfilming Corporation of America, 1982. Reprint of material donated by Stryker to the University of Louisville, including his extensive collection of photographs (over 2,000 images) from projects he supervised-FSA, Office of War Information, Standard Oil of New Jersey Picture Library, Pittsburgh Photographic Library, and Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation Picture Library. Correspondence, writings, shooting scripts, and other personal papers are also reproduced. Roy Stryker Papers, 1912-1972: A Guide to the Microfilm Edition (REF TR140.S72R69 1982) serves as a description of the collection and a finding aid to the microfilm series.

Various Call Numbers
Sources of Modern Photography. New York: Arno Press, 1979. Hard-copy reprints of sixty-seven nineteenth- and twentieth-century monographs: histories, technical and aesthetic treatises published in English, German, and French. A complete listing of all titles in the series is provided under the series title in the library catalog.

Maintained by Kari Horowicz.