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Content:
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The invention of photography
revolutionized research,
communication and the daily lives of ordinary people. Today photographs taken in the nineteenth century are essential documents for understanding life, work, leisure, scientific research and what the world
looked like at that time – from far away places to the streets of London, Paris,
Madrid, Berlin, Rome, St Petersburg. Although many photographs have been lost, there millions survive in the many wonderful and varied archives of photographs in libraries and archives across the world.
This paper discusses some
of the challenges and opportunities
involved in creating an online archive
of 19th century photographs
sourced from many libraries. It looks into
the value of creating an archive of photographs from many countries; the implications for research if certain countries are not represented; the value to the source archive of including their photographs alongside photographs from other collections; and the sensitivities of publishing photographs online. It will also
address the value to research today of historic photographs as
visual documents.
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