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Use your browser's print controls to print a copy of this research guide. Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs Finding Materials in the Collection: A Research GuideLocating Original PhotographsThe primary means of searching the Photography Collection is by photographer’s name. Click here to view a list of photographers whose work is represented in the collection. Some of the Photography Collection’s images are available online via the NYPL Digital Gallery. The images in the NYPL Digital Gallery also can be searched by place, subject and genre. Some of the larger photographic collections, such as the Robert N. Dennis Collection of Stereoscopic Views and the Romana Javitz Collection, have been cataloged by subject, photographic process and time period as well as by photographer. These collections can be accessed via CATNYP, the New York Public Library's on-line catalog. Many important collections are also accessible via albums of reproductions that can be viewed in the Prints and Photographs Study Room (Room 308). The New York Public Library has long been known for its holdings of photographs of New York City. The Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy maintains an important file of archival photographs of the city dating from the 1870s to 1980. The bulk of the collection comprises photographs from the late 1920s through the 1940s, a period during which the Library commissioned Percy Loomis Sperr, a Staten Island photographer, to document changes in the city through a series of nearly 30,000 photographs. The Photography Collection has complementary holdings, including important collections of work by Lewis W. Hine and Berenice Abbott. Historically, the collection has been stronger in New York photographs from the first half of the century, particularly work associated with documentary and social movements, such as photographs made for the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project or by members of the New York Photo League (1936 –51). Additional images held by The New York Public Library can be accessed via the Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection. The Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection is a picture resource that is comprised of 30,000 digitized images. These images include illustrations and photographs from books, magazines and newspapers. This collection is catalogued and is searchable by subject. Researching photographs can be facilitated by consultation with the staff of the Photography Collection, during the hours of public service. Telephone reference service for brief queries is available at (212) 930-0837 or via FAX at (212) 930-0530. Written reference queries will be answered in the order received regardless of means of transmittal.
Locating Reference Books on PhotographyThe department’s reference collection includes books and periodicals on photographers and the history of photography, exhibition catalogs, annuals, biographical dictionaries, resource guides, and selected technique handbooks. These volumes are accessible primarily through the Art & Architecture Collection and the General Research Division. Literature on photo-chemistry, optics, the imaging industry and advertising is held by the Science, Industry and Business Library. Works on photo-mechanical processes are held in the General Research Division. Most works are cataloged in CATNYP, the New York Public Library's on-line catalog. Use the following links to obtain a list of reference materials on specific subjects:
New York Public Library Photography CollectionColor Photography: A List of References in the New York Public Library / William Burt Gamble, ed. (New York: The Library, 1924) *Z-MFF p.v.57, no. 7 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) *R-Photo 84-176 “Original Sun Pictures:’ A Checklist of the New York Public Library’s Holdings of Early Works Illustrated with Photographs.” / Julia Van Haaften in The Bulletin of The New York Public Library (80:3 Spring 1977) *R-Photo General History of PhotographyEncyclopedia of 20th Century Photography / Lynne Warren, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2006) MFW 05-6948 The History of Photography from 1839 to the Present Day / Beaumont Newhall (New York: Musueum of Modern Art, 1982) MFW 86-4436 History of Women Photographers / Naomi Rosenblum (New York: Abbeville Press, 2000) *R-Photo 03-3877 A New History of Photography / Michel Frizot, ed. (Koln: 1998) *R-Photo 99-9144 Photography: A Cultural History / Mary Warner Marien (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2002) MFW+ 03-3081 A World History of Photography / Naomi Rosenblum (New York: Abbeville Press, 1997) *R-Art 04-4401 Visual Identification of Photographic ProcessesThe Albumen and Salted Paper Book / James M. Reilly (Rochester, N.Y.: Light Impressions Corporation, 1980) MFW 81-800 Care and Identification of 19th-Century Photographic Prints / James M. Reilly (Rochester, N.Y.: Eastman Kodak Company, 1986) *R-Photo 88-3039 Encyclopedia of Printing, Photographic, and Photomechanical Processes: A Comprehensive Reference to Reproduction Technologies, Containing Invaluable Information on Over 1500 Processes / Luis Nadeau (Fredericton, Canada: Atelier Luis Nadeau, 1989-1990) *R-Photo 03-4863 A Guide to Early Photographic Processes / Brian Coe and Mark Haworth-Booth (London: Victoria and Albert Museum in association with Hurtwood Press, 1983) MFW+ 84-775 How to Identify Prints: A Complete Guide to Manual and Mechanical Processes From Woodcut to Ink Jet / Bamber Gascoigne (New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986) Desk-MDI 87-2309 The Keepers of Light: A History & Working Guide to Early Photographic Processes / William Crawford (Dobbs Ferry, NY: Morgan & Morgan, 1979) *R-Photo 80-3351 Looking at Photographs: A Guide to Technical Terms / Gordon Baldwin (Malibu: J. Paul Getty Museum in association with British Museum Press, 1991) *R-Art 91-9043 Photography: Processes, Preservation, and Conservation / Metropolitan Museum of Art (January 30-May 20, 2001) Visual Communication and the Graphic Arts; Photographic Technologies in the Nineteenth Century / Estelle Jussim (New York: R.R. Bowker Co, 1974) MFW 95-10042 Biographical Information on PhotographersContemporary Photographers / Martin Marix Evans, ed. (New York: St. James Press, 1995) MFW 96-17383 Encyclopedie Internationale des Photographies de 1839 a Nos Jours: Photographers Encyclopedia International, 1939 to the Present / Michel Auer and Michele Auer (Hermance, Switzerland: Editions Camera Obscura, 1985) *R-Photo 86-1715 Macmillan Biographical Encyclopedia of Photographic Artists & Innovators / Turner Browne and Elaine Partnow (New York: Macmillan, 1983) MFW 84-438 Photographers: A Sourcebook for Historical Research / Richard Rudisill (Brownsville, CA: C. Mautz, 1991) *R-Photo 92-26 Women in Photography International Archive Bibliographies on PhotographyColor Photography: A List of References in the New York Public Library / William Burt Gamble, comp. (New York: The Library, 1924) *Z-MFF p.v.57, no. 7 History of Photography: A Bibliography of Books / Laurent Roosens and Luc Salu (London: Mansell, 1989) *R-Art 89-4304 Nineteenth-Century Photography: An Annotated Bibliography, 1839-1879 / William Johnson (Boston: G.K. Hall, 1990) *R-Photo 91-6379 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 / Albert Boni (New York: Morgan & Morgan, 1962, 1972) *R-Photo 99-1947 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) *R-Photo 84-176 Contemporary and Digital PhotographyArt and Photography / David Campany, ed. (London: Phaidon, 2003) MFW+ 03-5632 The Digital Evolution: Visual Communication in the Electronic Age: Essays, Lectures, and Interviews, 1967-1998 / A. D. Coleman (Tucson, AZ: Nazraeli Press, 1998) MFW 01-10615 Over Exposed: Essays on Contemporary Photography / Carol Squiers, ed. (New York: New Press, 1999) MFW 99-10250 The Photograph as Contemporary Art / Charlotte Cotton (London: Thames & Hudson, 2004) MFW 04-6453 The Photographic Image in Digital Culture / Martin Lister, ed. (London and New York: Routledge, 1995) MFW 95-12301
Locating PeriodicalsPeriodicals are found throughout the Library, in almost every Division. CATNYP will tell you in which location you can find the title you are seeking, so take note of the Location Field when searching. Please note that a single periodical title might be housed in multiple locations, depending on the format. For instance, a single journal title may have current paper issues in Room 108, back issues on microfilm in Room 100 and bound volumes in Room 315. Many photography-related periodicals are available through the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Reading Room (Room 108). Some photography journals are available in the Prints and Photographs Study Room (Room 308), including the following: History of Photography – only
the current issue is available in Room 308
Electronic Resources
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