Appraisal – Provenance and Documentation

Obviously there are many important factors to consider in appraisal, but I want to focus on the importance of provenance and identification. One of the first collections I helped process was a photograph collection, and it was one of the most challenging projects I have undertaken due to limited provenance and identifying information. This collection contained hundreds of photographs of various shapes, sizes, and colors, and coming from different photographers and time periods. The only common bond was geography: they were all local photographs. After a good deal of research and recruiting the help of as many volunteers as possible, we finally identified most of the photographs, although a fair number of the photographs still have unidentified subjects, photographers, and/or dates.

Although these photographs are all in good condition and relevant to the institution’s collection, in their present state they are not as useful as they could be. Without knowing where each of the photographs came from, the context in which they were created, or what they represent, it will be hard for researchers to use them effectively. After reading in P:ACM about the different values of photographs, I realize that the lack of information relating to provenance seriously undermines much of the potential value of the photographs. A box full of miscellaneous photographs with unknown subject matter is of limited use, even if the photographs are old, in good condition, and relevant to the institution’s mission.

I can understand why these photographs were accepted by the institution, as they are undeniably within the scope of their collections policy. The institution’s mission is to collect town history, and the photographs have the potential to be important sources of knowledge about buildings, people, and places in our town. Unfortunately, these photographs had to each be identified in order for them to be truly useful, and we spent too much time on this process. This experience reinforces for me the importance of accepting photographs that have as much documentation as possible, because this will both increase the value of the photograph and increase access to the collection.

Appraisal

I was surprised that the Charbonneau article did not emphasize the role that donors/vendors/creators play in the appraisal and acquisition process. Archivists should maintain close working relationships with partners so that a collaborative appraisal may be conducted at the time of acquisition. Creators and dealers may assists with questions of provenance and original order, while archivists can use their institutional knowledge to determine how the collection might fit in with other holdings.

The article outlined the many ways that photographs may be interfiled among other media. This presents numerous challenges as original order may be compromised in the interest of preservation. Different media require different conditions to prevent deterioration and may demand various levels of restriction.

A good appraisal policy should not only accommodate current users’ information seeking behavior, but also account for future trends in scholarship. While it is quite impossible for archivists to predict the future, there are ways to mine data that may inform appraisals as well as access. Software that monitors special collections “circulation” and photo reproduction requests such as Aeon can highlight scholarly interest in certain material or subjects. Communication between archives can also facilitate meeting user needs and prevent duplication of efforts.

Comments on Appraisal

While no appraisal equation will be perfect, with each appraisal a specific case, it is still helpful to have some ideas that can frame appraisal in general. I personally think the first place to start is looking at the big picture and thinking about if an item or collection fits your institution. Appraisal is not just, “Does it have value?” but is instead, “Does it have value to us?” and this relates to institutional mission and collecting policy. Appraising according to a collection policy can help ensure that new acquisitions align well on a number of levels, such as scope, user interest, and professional knowledge and skills. I believe, therefore, that a strong collecting policy is instrumental for good appraisal.

Archives collect and preserve in order to promote use, in my opinion, and so an important factor in answering, “Yes,” to “Does it have value to us?” is also the ability to adequately describe and demonstrate that value. This is where, for me, the notions of evidential and informational value of photographs come in. I am not sure if I agree with Charbonneau that photographs are most importantly informational (120), at least in an archival setting. Yes, this may be their most obvious quality, but I think as much as possible an archive should be able to know and describe the evidential values of photographs so that they are rich archival documents in both visual information and evidential context. Photographic appraisal should therefore consider, as much as possible, the ability of the archive to provide a valuable description, which is a difficult task given a visual medium, and includes having as much knowledge as possible of things such as original order, provenance, and potential primary and secondary uses. Valuable description, for me, is also description that aids discoverability and use, and so it is also intimately tied to the archive’s user audience(s). Acquisitions need to be valuable to someone, and that is your audience, which has hopefully also been informed by your collection policy. Appraisal must also take this into account.

If appraisal leads an archives staff to believe that a photographic collection fits their collection policy and can be described to users in a valuable way, then I think the next questions are about internal resources for preservation, and then external considerations such as copyright and restrictions. Whether the institution knows the format of the photographs, and has the skills and space to preserve them is important. If preservation is not a (too large) problem, then consideration can move to access, and whether the work of acquisition, preservation, and description is worth it for items that are restricted in certain ways.

A summary of appraisal as outlined above might therefore read:

a     a) Do these photographs have value to us, under our collection policy? If they do,

b     b) Can we demonstrate that value with rich description that will speak to and draw our audience? And if we can,

c     c) Can we adequately preserve them and offer them up for use, reproduction, and publication?

Again, I do not think any appraisal can follow a theoretical plan perfectly, as specifics will always come into play, but thinking about the above questions is helpful to me when considering how I might move forward if asked to take part in an appraisal, with especially close attention paid to the notions of description and preservation for photographic collections.

Me and my younger brother who is always eating something! Blizzard of 1952.

Hi GSLIS West'ers - The sun is finally out here. My neighbor measured 27 inches of snow by his back door where there wasn't much of a drift. My husband has been shovelling and the plows have been by frequently. Still pretty messy. Hope you are all safe and warm. We are very grateful not to have lost our electricity. Let's hope that the worst of the winter is now behind us - on to April!!!
MM

Child with a Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, NYC

Image Information
Creator	Diane Arbus, American, 1923-1971
Title	Child with a Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, NYC
Date	1962
Material	gelatin silver print
Measurements	H: 37.4 cm, W: 37.1 cm
Repository	Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA  Museum purchase, Karl E. Weston Memorial Fund  93.4  http://www.wcma.org/
Subject	child; boy; Central Park, NY; weapon; toy
ARTstor Collection	Williams College Museum of Art Collection
Source	Data From: Williams College Museum of Art
Rights	This image was provided by Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA. Contact information: Rachel Tassone, Manager of Collections Information, 15 Lawrence Hall Drive, Suite 2, Williamstown, MA 01267, (413) 597-2396 (ph), (413) 458-9017 (fax), rtassone@williams.edu.  Please note that if this image is under copyright, you may need to contact one or more copyright owners for any use that is not permitted under the ARTstor Terms and Conditions of Use or not otherwise permitted by law. While ARTstor tries to update contact information, it cannot guarantee that such information is always accurate. Determining whether those permissions are necessary, and obtaining such permissions, is your sole responsibility.

This is one of my all time favorite photographs.  It's so jarring and makes you feel slightly uncomfortable.  I love the boys expression and his disheveled appearance. He's slightly creepy. Even though Arbus put the word "Toy" in the title the fact that the boy is holding a grenade is unsettling.  What if it wasn't a toy and what if the photo wasn't taken in NYC in the 60's?  Try and imagine it was in a country at war, where death and weapons were not fun and games, but a daily reality.

The Ramones - 1976

Creator	Roberta Bayley
Title	The Ramones
Work Type	Photographs
Date	1976
Location	Exhibited at Mary Boone Gallery, Spring 2006
Material	gelatin silver print
Measurements	16" x 20
Description	Photographer: Larry Qualls
ARTstor Collection	Contemporary Art (Larry Qualls Archive)
Source	Image and original data provided by Larry Qualls

This iconic image of The Ramones was later cropped and used as the front cover of the debut album. It's a great shot that captures the grit of '70s New York as well as the rag-tag assortment of eccentric personalities that comprised the band. There's an innocence and toughness present here that is idiosyncratic and very pure.

Eleanor, Chicago, 1952

Image Information
Creator	Harry Callahan, North American; American, Born: US, MI, Detroit, 1912, Died: US, GA, Atlanta, 1999
Title	Eleanor, Chicago, 1952
Work Type	Photographs
Date	1952
Location	US, IL, Chicago
Material	gelatin silver print
Measurements	19.2 x 24.1 cm.
Description	recto-(printed on mount) 28 Full View
Repository	George Eastman House Rochester, New York, USA Gift of Ray K. Metzker 79:0097:0029 http://www.eastmanhouse.org/
Related Item	Callahan, Harry. --Photographs.-- Santa Barbara: El Mochuelo Gallery, 1964. pl. 4.
Subject	landscape, figure in
ARTstor Collection	George Eastman House Collection Formerly in The AMICO Library
ID Number	GEH_.79:0097:0029
Source	Data From: George Eastman House
Rights	This image was provided by George Eastman House. Contact information: Barbara Galasso, Rights and Reproductions, George Eastman House, 900 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607, (585) 271-3361 x 341, bgalasso@geh.org. Please note that if this image is under copyright, you may need to contact one or more copyright owners for any use that is not permitted under the ARTstor Terms and Conditions of Use or not otherwise permitted by law. While ARTstor tries to update contact information, it cannot guarantee that such information is always accurate. Determining whether those permissions are necessary, and obtaining such permissions, is your sole responsibility.
Download Size	1024,1024

 

I chose this photo because I find the composition and the images in it very intriguing. The dark irregular lines of the tree trunks, branches and shadows split the image into fragments giving texture to the photo. The trees' shadows almost make it appear as though there are deep cracks in the ground. The dark figure in the distance is too far away for the viewer to read a facial expression thus adding to the ominous mood of the wooded scene.