Digitizing Early Photography Trade Literature at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Library Fellowship, Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

New York, NY; August 2017 - May 2018

Digital Collection: “Early Photography Trade Catalogs and Manuals”

In Circulation Blog Post: “A Lens into Photographic Trade Literature”

A Zeutschel OS 12000 scanner used for digitizing books and other collection materials in the Thomas J. Watson Library. Here, a custom "Pamphlet" setting is being used when digitizing Photo Frame Mfg. Co. (New York: Photo Frame Mfg. Co., ca. 1900).

A library care and handling training session, led by Jenny Davis, in which the proper digitization station set-up is demonstrated for Photo Jewelry Mf'g. Co. : campaign, souvenir, advertising and photo buttons to order : button machines, button parts, photo frames, dies, findings, celluloid, etc., etc (Chicago: Photo Jewelry Mf'g, ca.1900).

Digitization training using the Atiz Book Drive Pro at Thomas J. Watson Library.

The front cover of Le développement lent next to a Kodak color target used during imaging.

Cyko: The Positive of Photography (Binghampton, NY: Ansco Company, 1914).

Venus and Me (Chicago: Photo Jewelry Mfg. Co., 1900).

The famous Bradley platinum paper / directions for working and price list / manufactured only by John Bradley (Philadelphia: John Bradley, [ca. 1900]).

Cramer's Manual on Negative Making and Formulas (St. Louis, MO: G. Cramer Dry Plate Co., 1912).

How to Make Photographs: And Descriptive Price List (New York: Scovill Manufacturing Co., 1889).

Photo Jewelry Mf'g. Co.: Campaign, Souvenir, Advertising and Photo Buttons To Order: Button Machines, Button Parts, Photo Frames, Dies, Findings, Celluloid, etc. (Chicago: Photo Jewelry Mf'g, ca.1900).

Catalogue and price list of the Brooklyn Photo Copying Co., no. 38 Troy Avenue.. (Brooklyn: Brooklyn Photo Copying, 1889).

Quarterly price-list : Chas. T. White & Co. (New York: Chas. T. White, 1871).

An original platinotype print from The Platinotype for Black and Sepia Tones: Directions for Working and Price List of Paper, Platinotype Cards, etc. Manufactured by Willis & Clements (Philadelphia: Willis & Clements, between 1880 and 1930).

"The Prismatic Solar Spectrum" from Frederic E. Ives, Isochromatic Photography with Chlorophyl (Philadelphia: Ives, Frederic Eugene, 1886).

A page from Scovill and Adams Co.'s How to Make Photographs : and Descriptive Price List, illustrating an electric darkroom lamp and dry plate lantern (New York: Scovill Manufacturing Co., 1889).

Attention-grabbing typography on the back cover of The Collodion Process for Taking Portraits, Views, etc. by the Action of Light Upon Prepared Glass Plates (London: John Bentley and Company, 1853).

View of the Early Photography Trade Catalogs and Manuals collection.

My blog post written for In Circulation, “A Lens into Photographic Trade Literature,” in which I highlight some of the materials digitized and discuss my Fellowship experience.

Through a dynamic two-semester Fellowship at the Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I completed a project to digitize a set of twenty-six volumes representing examples of early photography trade literature (1850s-1920s). Early photography trade catalogs and manuals illustrate the equipment and technologies available to the photographer as well as the processes used to make photographs at a point in time. These materials range from bound volumes of manufactured or produced items offered for sale, to ephemeral booklets, as well as broadsides, and price lists.

Under the supervision of my mentor, Robyn Fleming, and staff at the Watson Library, I performed reformatting for a selection of rare volumes from the Museum’s departmental libraries. Throughout the project, established digitization standards were followed to ensure the physical materials will remain preserved and digital surrogates be openly accessible.

This project involved selecting candidates for digitization, photographing books using a Zeutschel scanner (OmniScan software), uploading to CONTENTdm for inclusion in the Watson Library Digital Collections, and enriching Watsonline records. At the conclusion of the project, I uploaded the digitized e-books to a new collection titled “Early Photography Trade Catalogs and Manuals Digital Collection,” within the Watson Library Digital Collections.

View my blog post composed for In Circulation, “A Lens into Photographic Trade Literature,” in which I highlight some of the materials digitized and discuss my Fellowship experience.

Early Photography Trade Catalogs and Manuals Digital Collection:

“This collection contains twenty-six volumes representing early photography trade literature, primarily trade catalogs and manuals from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These publications are housed in the collections of the Joyce F. Menschel Photography Library, the Thomas J. Watson Library, and The Robert Lehman Collection Library.” Browse the digital collection here. View the catalog records in Watsonline here, and a PDF document here.

In 2017, I was fortunate to be the recipient of a two-semester Fellowship awarded by Pratt Institute School of Information, which supported this digitization project.