Finding aid for the Arthur Kingsley Porter study photographs of Romanesque architecture and sculpture, 1900s 91.P.4
Jan Bender and Ann Harrison
Special Collections
2013
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
Business Number: (310) 440-7390
Fax Number: (310) 440-7780
reference@getty.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections
Title: Arthur Kingsley Porter study photographs of Romanesque architecture and sculpture
Creator:
Porter, Arthur Kingsley, 1883-1933
Creator:
Paton, James Morton, 1863-1944
Identifier/Call Number: 91.P.4
Physical Description:
6 Linear Feet
(14 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1900s
Physical Location: Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the
catalog record for this collection. Click here for the
access policy .
Abstract: An assortment of approximately 2000 photographic copy prints made from Arthur Kingsley Porter's negatives, now held by the
Fine Arts Library, Harvard University. Images document medieval architecture and sculpture across Europe, with an emphasis
on Romanesque monuments in France and Italy, as well as some images of Spanish and Portuguese sites.
Language of Material:
English
.
Related Archival Materials
The complete set of Arthur Kingsley Porter's negatives, with contact prints and selected enlargements, is held by Harvard
University (HOLLIS number 000601589).
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection is comprised of an assortment of approximately 2000 photographic prints made from Arthur Kingsley Porter's
negatives, now held by the Fine Arts Library, Harvard University. Almost 12,000 photographic negatives were made by Porter
as illustrations for his ten-volume work,
Romanesque Sculpture of the Pilgrimage Roads (Boston, 1923) and his other publications. These images capture medieval architecture and sculpture across Europe, with emphasis
on Romanesque monuments and architectural sculpture in France and Italy. Porter's photographs provide critical documentation
of the state of preservation of hundreds of medieval sites in the early twentieth century. Many of the monuments and sculptures
recorded have undergone steady deterioration since then, suffered war damage, or disappeared into private collections. These
images also address the development of the discipline of art history in America, as Porter's photographic work served as a
basis for his controversial theories of the migration of forms and styles.
In 1991 as part of the development of the Medieval section of the Photo Archive, the Getty Research Institute negotiated with
Harvard University to acquire enlarged prints of Porter's negatives. Harvard holds a complete set of contact prints of Porter's
negatives for research purposes, but only selected enlargements, and Dumbarton Oaks holds selected prints, primarily of Byzantine
monuments. The intention was for the Getty to acquire a complete set of enlargements, making it the only institution to hold
such a research tool. However, when the project lapsed in 1992, the Getty had received only about 2000 prints. The Getty prints
include all the large negatives in Porter's collection, plus selections from the nitrate and the medium-sized negatives, a
body of material reflecting Harvard's production flow rather than image content categories. Photocopies of Harvard's catalog
records accompany and identify each image.
A small number of photographs drawn from other sources are also included in this collection. There are twenty-eight prints
made from negatives in the James M. Paton Photograph Collection also held by Harvard University (HOLLIS number 010880186)
and fifty other photographs from the general photographic holdings of the Fogg Museum, as well as documentation of a small
display of Porter's photographs at the Getty Research Institute in 1994.
Processing History
Jan Bender created the collection inventory in 2013 and Ann Harrison completed the finding aid.
Preferred Citation
Arthur Kingsley Porter study photographs of Romanesque architecture and sculpture, 1900s, The Getty Research Institute, Los
Angeles, Accession no. 91.P.4
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa91p4
Publication Rights
Access
Open for use by qualified researchers.
Biographical/Historical Note
Arthur Kingsley Porter (1883-1933) was a medieval archaeologist, and art and architectural historian. Through his numerous
publications and his post as a professor at Harvard, Porter was instrumental in establishing the study of medieval art history
in the United States.
The summer after graduating from Yale in 1904, Porter discovered his passion for architecture, especially medieval architecture,
on a trip to France. That fall instead of beginning to study law as had been expected, Porter enrolled in the Columbia University
School of Architecture. While there, Porter's focus soon shifted from the practice of architecture to architectural history.
In 1906, Porter left Columbia to begin work on his first book, entering the life-long pattern of travel, research and writing
that his family wealth allowed.
By the beginning of World War I, Porter had spent extended periods of time in Europe studying medieval monuments, had published
three books and gained a certain international scholarly recognition. This success led to his appointment first as a lecturer
on the history of architecture in 1915, and then, after completing a BFA degree in 1917, as an assistant professor at Yale.
In the aftermath of the war in 1918, Porter took a leave from Yale, accepting an invitation, the only one offered to a foreigner,
to serve on the French governmental
Commission des Monuments Historiques documenting damaged and endangered monuments. During this time Porter met and became friends with Bernard Berenson. This
connection was presumably a factor in Porter joining the Harvard Fine Arts faculty upon his return to the United States in
1920.
Porter's years at Harvard were a professional success on many levels. He published consistently; he acquired medieval art
and artifacts for the Fogg Museum; and he was appointed to an endowed chair in 1925. Porter's time at Harvard was marked
by his influence on and mentoring of a new generation of art historians at Harvard and other institutions, including Kenneth
Conant, Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Meyer Schapiro. He also continued his European sojourns. The years from 1923-1925 were
spent on leave in France and Spain, teaching and lecturing.
Porter brought international recognition to the study of medieval art and architectural history in the United States. In his
publications, he tackled large questions, such as the origin of the rib vault, the nature and transmission of artistic influence,
and attribution, and he challenged the current systems of chronology and classification. His interdisciplinary approach was
well ahead of its time and he was an ardent advocate of the use of photography as an art historical tool. Assisted by his
wife Lucy, he photographed prodigiously during his travels in Europe, often using hotel bathrooms and closets as darkrooms,
and these photographs were integral to his scholarship. His publication
Romanesque Sculpture of the Pilgrimage Roads, for example, used 1527 photographic plates to illustrate circa 350 pages of text, or one volume of text with nine volumes
of plates. Porter's theories were controversial and elicited a strong reaction, especially from French academics, but this
meant that he, an American scholar, was taking part in the intellectual debates previously held exclusively among European
medievalists.
Yet, Porter was unhappy. He considered quitting Harvard as early as 1929. By the early 1930s Porter had developed a new passion
for Celtic culture and was spending most of the year in Ireland, a refuge from what he saw as the growing political and moral
decay of the United States, as well as personal turmoil and professional danger related to his homosexuality. On July 8 1933
Porter disappeared while walking the sea cliffs near his house in Ireland and was presumed dead, a victim of an accidental
fall or a suicide.
Arrangement
Arranged culturally/geographically.
Acquisition Information
Acquired from Harvard University in 1991-1992.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Sculpture, Medieval
Architecture, Romanesque -- France
Architecture, Romanesque -- Italy
Sculpture, Romanesque -- Italy
Architecture, Medieval
Photographic prints
Sculpture, Romanesque -- France
Porter, Arthur Kingsley, 1883-1933 -- Photograph collections
Arthur Kingsley Porter study photographs of Romanesque architecture and sculpture
box 1, folder 1
Arthur Kingsley Porter Cambridge, Massachusetts home
box 1, folder 6
Armagh, Carlow, Clare, Donegal and Fermanagh
box 1, folder 7
Kildare, Kilkenny and Londonderry
box 1, folder 10
Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone and Wicklow
box 1, folder 12
Scotland: Dumfries and Iona
box 2, folder 2
Ambleny, Chaillevois, Chevregny, Chivy-lès-Étouvelles, Connigie, Corcy, Courmelles, Étouvelles and Guignicourt
box 2, folder 4
Lesges, Longpont, Mareuil-en-Dôle, Margival, Montcornet, Montigny-Lengrain, Paars, Ressons-le-Long and Retheuil
box 2, folder 5
Soissons, Soupir and Saint-Quentin
box 2, folder 6
Vauclerc-et-la-Valleé-Foulon, Vaux-sous-Laon, Viels-Maisons, Vorges and Vregny
box 2, folder 9
Aude: Carcassonne and Narbonne
box 2, folder 10
Aveyron: Conques, Espalion and Perse
box 2, folder 11
Basses Pyrénées: Morlon and Oloron
box 2, folder 12
Bouches-du-Rhône: Aix-en-Provence, Arles and Marseilles
box 2, folder 13
Authie, Biéville, Caen and Cheux
box 2, folder 14
Fontaine-Henry, Ifs, Ouistreham, Putot-en-Auge, Rosel, Rots and Ryes
box 2, folder 15
Saint-Gabriel, Secqueville-en-Bessin, Saint-Contest, Saint-Loup-Hors and Thaon
box 3, folder 1
Charente: Angoulême, Châteauneuf-sur-Charente, Saint-Amant-de-Boixe and Trois-Palis
box 3, folder 1
Charente-Inférieure: Chadenac
box 3, folder 2
Corrèze: Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne and Saint-Clément
box 3, folder 5
Dordogne: Périgueux and Perpignan
box 3, folder 6
Essonne: Étampes, Longpont-sur-Orge and Saint-Sulpice-de-Favières
box 3, folder 7
Eure: Bernay, Chartres, Châteaudun and Évreux
box 3, folder 8
Kerfeunteun, Locmaria, Locronan, Meillars, Ploaré, Plonéis and Pont-Croix
box 3, folder 10
Gard: Beaucaire and Saint-Giles
box 3, folder 11
Gironde: Blasimon, Bordeaux, Castelviel and Sauve-Majeure
box 3, folder 12
Haute-Garonne: Montesquieu-Volvestre, Saint-Aventin and Toulouse
box 3, folder 13
Haute-Loire: Puy-en-Velay
box 3, folder 13
Haute-Marne: Montier-en-Der and Villiers-le-Sec
box 3, folder 14
Hérault: Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Saint-Pons-de-Thomières and Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone
box 4, folder 1
Indre-et-Loire: Loche and Monthodon
box 4, folder 3
Lot: Cahors, Carennac, Martel and Souillac
box 4, folder 4
Manche: Cerisy-la-Forêt, Hambye, Lessay, Pontorson and Saint-Lô
box 4, folder 5
Mantes: Gassicourt, Mantes and Notre Dame
box 4, folder 6
Marne: Châlons-sur-Marne, Damery, L'Épine, Port-à-Binson and Thible
box 4, folder 7
Angicourt, Angivilliers, Angy, Beauvais, Béthisy-Saint-Pierre, Bitry, Boran-sur-Oise and Bury
box 4, folder 8
Cambronne-lès-Clermont, Catenoy, Chamant, Coudon, Marolles, Méry, Mogneville, Montagny and Noyon
box 4, folder 9
Pontpoint, Rhuis, Rully, Saintines and Sarron
box 4, folder 11
Saint-Germer-de-Fly, Saint-Léger-aux-Bois, Saint-Leu-d'Esserent, Saint-Vaast-lès-Mello, Tracy-le-Val and Villers-Saint-Paul
box 4, folder 12
Puy-de-Dôme: Clermont-Ferrand
box 4, folder 13
Pyrénées-Orientales: Arles-sur-Tech, Corneilla-de-Conflent, Cuxa, Elne, Marcevol, Saint-André-de-Sorède, Saint-Féliu-d'Amont,
Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines and Toulouges
box 5, folder 1
Saône et Loire: Anzy-le-Duc, Berzé-la-Ville, Perrecy-les-Forges and Tournus
box 5, folder 2
Seine-et-Marne: Chelles, Crouy-sur-Ourcq, Provins, Saint-Loup-de-Naud and Saint-Pathus
box 5, folder 5
Val-d'Oise: Auvers-sur-Oise, Beaumont-sur-Oise, Chars, Cormeilles-en-Vexin and Pontoise
box 5, folder 7
Yvelines: Juziers and Poissy
box 5, folder 8-11
French school, 12th century
box 5, folder 9
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Toulouse
box 5, folder 10
Musée Rupin, Brives, Corrèze
box 5, folder 11
Silos, Monastery of Santo Domingo
box 6, folder 1
Alessandria: Acqui, Castelnuovo Scrivia, Novi Ligure, Portacomaro, Rivalta Scrivia, Sezze, Spigno Monferrato and Tortona
box 6, folder 3
Asti: Albugnano, Asti, Cortazzone d'Asti, Montechiaro d'Asti. Montemagno and Montiglio d'Asti
box 6, folder 4
Avellino: Prata di Principato Ultra
box 6, folder 5
Bari: San Nicola and Monopoli
box 6, folder 7
Almenno San Salvatore and Bonate Sotto
box 7, folder 8
Calvenzano, Calvi and Fontanella
box 6, folder 9
Mazzone, San Fermo di Sopra and Santa Maria Maggiore
box 6, folder 11
Brescia: Capo di Ponte, Rotondo, San Salvatore and Santa Giulia
box 7, folder 2
Caserta: Aversa, Santa Maria Capua Vetere and Casale Monferrato
box 7, folder 3
Bellagio, Como and Galliano
box 7, folder 6
Varese, Vertemate and Voltorre
box 7, folder 11
Frosinone: Aquino, Cassino and Ferentino
box 7, folder 12
Latina: Cori, Fossanova and Ninfa
box 8, folder 2
San Babila, San Calimero, San Celso, Sant'Eustorgio and San Giorgio in Palazzo
box 8, folder 3
San Nazaro and San Satiro
box 8, folder 4
San Sepolcro, San Simpliciano, Santa Maria d'Aurona and San Pietro
box 8, folder 7
Modena: Levizzano Rangone, Modena, Nonantola, Pieve Trebbio and Renno di Pavullo
box 8, folder 9
Naples: Cimitale, Ischia, Marechiaro, Naples, Pompeii, Posilippo, Pozzuoli and Sorrento
box 8, folder 10
Novara: Casolino, Novara and San Nazzaro Sesia
box 9, folder 1
Fornovo di Taro, Sant'Ilario di Bagenza, Sasso di Neviano degli Arduini and Vicofertile
box 9, folder 2
Fidenza (Borgo San Donnino)
box 9, folder 5
San Lanfranco and San Lazzaro
box 9, folder 8
Santo Stefano, San Teodoro, San Zaccaria and SS. Primo e Felliciano
box 9, folder 9
Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria in Betlem
box 9, folder 10
Piacenza: Castell'Arquato, Chiaravalle della Colomba, Piacenza, Velleia and Vigo Marchese
box 10, folder 7
Salerno: Minuto, Nocera Superiore, Paestum, Ravello, Salerno and Scale
box 10, folder 8
Siena: Ponte allo Spino and Siena
box 11, folder 1
Brusasco, Cavagnolo, Ivrea and Piobesi Torinese
box 11, folder 2
Ranverso di Avigliana, Rivoli and Sagra San Michele
box 11, folder 3
Settimo Vittone, Stradella and Susa
box 11, folder 5
Varese: Arsago, Brebbia, Gallarate and Sesto Calende
box 11, folder 6
Veneto: Torcello and Vicenza
box 11, folder 6
Verbano-Cusio-Ossola: Mergazzo and Pallanza
box 11, folder 7
Bardolino and Gasso Veronese
box 11, folder 8
Porcile, San Giorgio in Valpolicella, Sirmione, Sommacampagna and Villanova
box 12, folder 2
Ferento, Montefiascone and Nepi
box 13, folder 3
Burgos: Arenillas de San Pelayo, Cerezo de Riotirón, San Quirce, Santibáñez-Zarzaguda, Silos and Siones
box 13, folder 4
Catalonia : Agramunt, Baget, Barcelona, Ripoll and Vich
box 13, folder 5
Galicia : Betanzos and Santiago de Compostela
box 13, folder 5
Huesca : Huesca, Iguacel, Jaca, Loarre and Santa Cruz de la Serós
box 13, folder 6
Lérida : Covet, Verdú and Vilagrasa
box 13, folder 7
Navarre : Estella, Olite, Sangüesa and Tudela
box 13, folder 7
Palencia : Aguilar de Campóo, Carrión de los Condes, Cervatos, Palencia and San Martín de Frómista
box 13, folder 8
Salamanca : Ciudad Rodrigo and Salamanca
box 14, folder 1
Segovia : Fuentidueña, Segovia and Sepúlveda
box 14, folder 7
Documentation of Porter display at the Getty Research Institute
box 14, folder 8
James Paton Collection photographs and other photographs supplied by Harvard
box 14, folder 8
French: Beaune, Dijon, Grenade and Reims
box 14, folder 8
Italian: Lazio, Perugia, Piedmont, Rome, Terni and Tuscany
