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About the collection
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The British Library holds one of the largest and most comprehensive
collection of photographically illustrated books with original hand -
produced prints and all forms of photomechanical processes and separate
collections of individual photographs. The work of early inventors, scientists
and practitioners is well represented and comprehensively documented in
the form of photographs and manuals, handbooks, guides and patents of
photography, in many languages from every continent in the world.
Collections of the magnitude of the British Library are acquired over
many years and provide a rich resource for research into British and foreign
histories of photography. The multi-disciplinary nature and use of photography
as a form of illustration is reflected in the collections, spanning multifarious
fields of subjects, ie. anthropology, archaeology, astronomy, architecture,
topography, natural science, portraiture etc.
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The
impact and influence of photography in the nineteenth century was immense.
George Poitonee referred to the new invention as " important as an
auxiliary in all sciences, based on the direct observation of nature …[photography]..has
given to the world, one of the most important discoveries of all time."
The British Library now provides access into these unique collections,
by way of a comprehensive, detailed and high quality database, which will
soon be available. Over 5,000 photographically illustrated books, texts,
manuals and single collections of photographs are included; the project
is on-going and the identification and collation of information is still
in progress.
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The final outcome of the database project, which has taken
six years, will stand as a testament to the vision and determination of
the nineteenth century pioneers and practitioners of photography and the
foresight and dedication of the staff of the library who were responsible
for the acquisition and creation of the collections.
See more on the history and scope of this collection |
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