Early Photography Collection
About the Collection
The Early Photography collection dates from 1877 to 1922 (mostly 1894-1905) in 2.31 cubic feet. The collection contains examples of early photographic processes ranging from daguerreotype (invented 1839) to celluloid film (invented 1888), with a strength in stereographic postcards ranging from 1894 to 1905.
The collection also includes ambrotypes, tintypes, cabinet cards, stereographic postcards, photographic albums, and viewing devices for the stereographs. The photographs in the collection feature common issues of aging, which help illustrate the physical processes of each photographic technique.
Dates
- 1877-1922
Terms of Access
The majority of the Early Photography Collection is available to all users. Any unprocessed items added to the collection that are not in this current inventory will become available for all users once the Archivist has updated the collection’s description.
Terms of Use
Materials are property of Columbia College Chicago. This work passed into the public domain. Materials that are published and copyrighted may maintain their copyright protections and must be used according to United State Copyright Law.
Extent
2.31 Cubic Feet (One (1) standard record box, one (1) chronicle box, five (5) custom boxes) : Forms of materials: daguerreotypes, leather and union cases, ambrotypes, tintypes, cabinet cards, stereographic postcards, photo albums, photography ephemera
Language of Materials
English
Introduction
The Early Photography collection contains examples of photographic processes ranging from daguerreotypes (invented 1839) to celluloid film (invented 1888). The strength of the collection is the series of stereographic postcards dated from 1894 to 1905. The entire collection dates from 1877 to 1922 in 2.31 cubic feet
Collection Arrangement
The Early Photography Collection has been arranged into five series and five sub-series by subject:
Series 1: Daguerreotypes, 1839-1855;
Sub-series 1.1: Cases;
Series 2: Wet Plate Collodions;
Sub-series 2.1: Ambrotypes, 1855-1865;
Sub-series 2.2: Tintypes, 1855-1940s;
Series 3: Albumen Prints;
Series 3.1: Cabinet Cards, 1877-1922;
Series 3.2: Stereographic Postcards, 1894-1905;
Series 4: Albums, 1905, 1908; and
Series 5: Ephemera.
Requirements for Researcher's Access
All physical materials must be viewed during a scheduled appointment time within the College Archives & Special Collections office. No materials are to be circulated. Due to the fragile nature of most of the collection items, users will be instructed in handling of materials.
Initial Acquisition
The Early Photography Collection was collected through purchase and donation by the Columbia College Chicago Library in the 1970s and 1980s. The material was selected in consultation with faculty of the Photography Department for classroom instruction and exhibition and used heavily through the early 2010s in Photography classes at the College.
Additions to the Collection
The collection has sporadically grown since its initial acquisition in the 1970s or 1980s. Known accruals include the “Kodaguide Snapshot Dials,” and “Life Library of Photography Photographer’s Handbook,” donated by Heidi Marshall, the College Archivist, in 2008; two tintypes purchased from R&J Needful Things Antique Center, Inc., Flushing, MI in 2009; and the “Stereopticon 707,” transferred from the College’s Technology Services department in 2010.
Bibliography
“Albumen.” Identification, Graphics Atlas, http://www.graphicsatlas.org/identification/?process_id=143. 21 March 2018.
Barger, M. Susan, et al. "Cleaning Daguerreotypes." Studies in Conservation, vol. 31, no. 1, Feb. 1986, p. 15. EBSCOhost, colum.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edo&AN=33241545&site=eds-live&scope=site.
“Bishareen Types,Soudan,Egypt,” 1934, Keystone-Mast Collection. UC Riverside, California Museum of Photography, Calisphere, https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/kt1q2nd23f/. 19 April 2018.
Clark, Susie. “The Conservation of Wet Collodion Positives.” Studies in Conservation, vol. 43, no. 4, 1998, pp. 231–241. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1506732.
Daniel, Malcolm. “Daguerre (1787–1851) and the Invention of Photography.” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 2004, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dagu/hd_dagu.htm.
p“Facts About Daguerreotypes.” The Daguerreian Society, http://www.daguerre.org/?page=DagFAQ. 20 March 2018.
Fineman, Mia. “Kodak and the Rise of Amateur Photography.” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 2004, https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kodk/hd_kodk.htm.
Haje Jan Kamps. “Ambrotype photography.” Photocritic Photo School, 04 January 2009, http://www.photocritic.org/articles/ambrotype-photography.
Harding, Colin. “How to Spot a Cabinet Card (1866-C.1914).” Science + Media Museum, 05 September 2013, https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/find-out-when-a-photo-was-taken-identify-a-cabinet-card/.
“Bishareen Family Portrait, by Zangaki,” The Oriental Institute, The University of Chicago, https://oi.uchicago.edu/research/publications/le/bishareen-family-portrait-zangaki. 19 April 2018.
Newhall, Beaumont. "AMBROTYPE." Image, vol. 7, no. 8, Oct. 1958, pp. 171-177. EBSCOhost, colum.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asu&AN=32724354&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Newhall, Beaumont. "How George Eastman INVENTED the KODAK CAMERA. (Cover Story)." Image, vol. 7, no. 3, Mar. 1958, pp. 59-64. EBSCOhost, colum.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asu&AN=32724322&site=eds-live&scope=site.
“Popular Photographic Print Processes: Albumen Prints.” Prints & Photographs Reading Room, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/589_albumen.html. 21 March 2018.
“Popular Photographic Print Processes: Ambrotypes.” Prints & Photographs Reading Room, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/589_ambrotype.html. 20 March 2018.
“Popular Photographic Print Processes: Tintypes (Ferrotypes, Melainotypes, Melanographs).” Prints & Photographs Reading Room, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/589_tintype.html. 21 March 2018.
Reilly, J.A., Severson D.G., & McCabe C. (2013) Image deterioration in albumen photographic prints. Studies in Conservation, 27, 61-65. doi:10.1179/sic.1982.27.Supplement-1.61
“Stereograph Cards.” Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/stereo/background.html. 21 March 2018.
Stulik, Dusan C., and Art Kaplan. “Albumen.” The Atlas of Analytical Signatures of Photographic Processes, The Getty Conservation Institute, 2013, https://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/pdf_publications/pdf/atlas_albumen.pdf.
“The Albumen Print - Photographic Processes Series - Chapter 6 of 12.” YouTube, uploaded by George Eastman Museum, 12 December 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JDfdHWBVG4.
“The Collodion - Photographic Processes Series - Chapter 5 of 12.” YouTube, uploaded by George Eastman Museum, 12 December 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnxT4WQsLLM.
“The Daguerreotype Medium.” Collection: Daguerreotypes, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/collections/daguerreotypes/articles-and-essays/the-daguerreotype-medium/. 20 March 2018.
“The Last Full Measure: Civil War Photographs from the Liljenquist Family Collection.” Exhibitions, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-war-photographs/the-photographic-process.html. 20 March 2018.
“The Process and Complications of the Daguerreotype.” History of the Information Age-Fall 2011, Prof. McClurken’s HIST471D7, http://infoage.umwblogs.org/2011/09/28/the-process-and-complications-of-the-daguerreotype/. 20 March 2018.
“The Science of Tintype Photography.” YouTube, uploaded by Tested, 04 June 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DneujRTXwic.
- Title
- Early Photography Collection, 1877-1922
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- NN, 2018
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- eng
Repository Details
Part of the College Archives & Special Collections at Columbia College Chicago Repository