Photographs

Overview

Photographs are often spread throughout a collection, with some folders consisting only of photographs and others including a mix of photographs and documents. During initial processing, indicate the presence of photographs with blue paper flags for further appraisal.

Generally, photographs that are adhered to something (a scrapbook, a paper mat) will remain mounted or matted. If a photograph is loose in a plain mount or mat, remove it. If the mat/mount carries studio or photographer information, do not remove the photo, but pencil the information onto its back in case it becomes separated.

Appraisal

Photographs may be treated differently in different collections. When surveying a collection, note the existence of photographs, their format, and how they are housed: are there folders of only photographs? Do some folders have photographs and paper records filed together? Are there loose photographs? Are photographs identified? An assessment of the photographs as well as a description of the photo series arrangement should be included in your processing plan.

Photographs should be flagged with blue flags when you come across them. After initial processing (when you know enough about the collection to help appraise the photos) schedule an appraisal meeting with Joanne and Diana to assess what approach you should take with the photographs. While the processor may be in a better position to identify significant people, places and events that should be documented, Joanne can advise on preservation issues, research interest, cataloging, and other considerations that might be of interest to image researchers. This meeting will help determine which photos should be cataloged and also acquaints Diana with these photographs.

Arrangement

After consulting with your team lead and Joanne and assessing which photographs will be cataloged, you will begin to create a photograph series of these photos. If the photos were not received in any apparent original order, arrange photographs by subject and/or date, trying to keep similar photographs together; it is often helpful to create series parallel to those in the finding aid, beginning with personal/family photographs. Using a photographic pencil, record any identifying information on the reverse of the photograph; place all notations in square brackets [ ]. Photographs should be filed in regular legal-size acid-free folders. If possible, do not put more than 20 photographs in any one folder.

Write the number of photographs in each folder in the upper right corner of the folder tab (e.g., 8 photos); this denotes number of photos to be digitized, as well as providing control for reference staff. As with other folder descriptions, photo folder titles should be general (do not itemize!), but well-known people or unusual images should be mentioned.

All photograph folders should be part of a Photograph series. This is somewhat of a departure from the practice of the recent past. Folders of photographs found with other documents should be listed as part of the Photo series as well.

Should you wish to provide a cross reference from the folder of paper that once held a photograph, you can use a "See also" note.

EXAMPLE

5.3. Correspondence with Ron Swanson, 2010.
See #PD.6 for photograph of Ron Swanson.

You would then list the photo folder in the Photo series:

PD.6. Photographs: portrait of Ron Swanson removed from #5.3, 2009

Description

Photograph folder titles get reused as metadata when photographs are digitized. So it's clear what the folder contents are, write photograph folder titles in the following format:

PD.#. Photographs: title, date

If there are no donor supplied titles it is up to the processor to create a collective title for each photograph folder. Photograph folders are often arranged by subject and/or by date. The title may include the persons, events, activities, places, etc. depicted. If applicable, include the type of photographs in the title such as: portraits of…, views of…When there is a folder of photographs of a person(s), but all images are not considered portraits, do not include “portraits of” in title. As of May 2016, we will no longer include the number of photographs in folder titles in the finding aid. The total number of photographs in each folder, should still be recorded on the folder itself, and the total number of images in the collection given to Joanne.

EXAMPLES

PD.1. Photographs: Leslie Knope, 2009-2015

PD.2. Photographs: Pawnee Harvest Festival, 2011

Uncataloged photographs

If photographs are completely irrelevant or illegible, they may be either discarded or returned to the donor as per agreement in the DOG. Photographs with little significance apart from the documents they accompany, such as pictures of children or pets sent with correspondence are not typically cataloged.

We have been noting the presence of these uncataloged photographs in folder titles. This is no longer necessary.

Essentially, if you come across photographs in your collection, they should either become part of a photo series, be discarded, or left in place without special attention in the finding aid.

Should you have a photo album (or scrapbook with photographs) that is determined by Joanne to be unworthy of cataloging, but you wish to keep it in the collection as a document, you can note that it includes photographs.

EXAMPLE:

8.4. Travel album from trip to Washington, D.C., 2012: photographs

8.5. “Leslie Knope City Councilor, Year One” scrapbook, 2012; includes letters, clippings, photographs

Photographs attached to documents

When photographs are physically attached to non-photo documents, we try to note their existence by using capital letters. Leave the photograph where it is (for example, a passport with photograph, or page in a scrapbook), and indicate the presence and number of photographs using the phrase "Includes xx PHOTOGRAPH(S)" in the finding aid description for that file unit.

Examples for attached photos, remaining where found:

8.4. Travel album from trip to Washington, D.C., 2012; includes PHOTOGRAPHS

8.5. “Leslie Knope City Councilor, Year One” scrapbook, 2012; includes PHOTOGRAPH

In some cases, although photos and text are interspersed throughout the entire folder or volume, the photos may predominate, or be of greater research interest. If (in consultation with Joanne) you decide to move the item to the Photo series, the non-photo items should be pointed out in the folder descriptions.

Examples for photographs attached to non-photo documents moved to Photo series:

PD.4. Travel album from trip to Washington, D.C., 2012; includes brochures, tickets

PD.5. “Leslie Knope City Councilor, Year One” scrapbook, 2012; also includes letters, clippings

Interesting/unusual photo formats

Some collections may contain daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, other cased photographs, glass plate negatives, or cyanotypes.

Consult Joanne and Amanda about storage and description of unusual photographic processes and formats. Most can be described as part of a photograph folder in the finding aid, but are stored in special boxes. Cased images and some other photographs on supports like glass or porcelain are filed in the "z" boxes (which are essentially card-file boxes). These photographs receive a “z” at the end of their photograph number:

Include format information in the folder title if rare/interesting, such as daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, cyantotypes, etc. See the photograph cataloging manual for helpful resources in identifying photographic processes. If you are unsure about the photographic process, consult Joanne.

PD.#. Photographs: title, date; format(s)

PD.7z. Photographs: portrait of Li’l Sebastian, ca.1860; daguerreotype

PD.8. Photographs: views of Pawnee, Indiana, n.d.; includes cyanotypes and tintypes

Photograph end processing

Filing photograph folders can either be done by the End Processor, or by the processor herself. If doing it yourself, remember the items below.

Photographs are generally housed in separate photograph boxes.
If you have enough photographs to fill a file box or half file box, ask Joanne for the next photo box number and create a new box: make a label using the LABELS for photo boxes.doc template (in LABELS folder within Collection Services on G), and barcode it
Shelve in Vault 2 around aisle 82 and give the barcode sheet to Joanne with location and total # of photographs
If you only have a few folders, shelve them in the TEMPORARY location photo box in vault 2 at: 63.1.2, and let Joanne know that you added to the box. Give Joanne the collection number and how many photographs in the collection
If the temporary box is full, please bring it to Joanne so she can transfer contents to a new box
Shelve oversize, etc. folders accordingly
Tally total number of photographs and email Joanne with the collection number, name, and total number of photographs.

Give negatives and slides to Joanne. Negatives should be in letter size folders. Slides do not need to be in folders, but each slide sleeve should be labeled with collection number and folder number.