Study photographs of ancient mosaics, 1900s

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Summary

Creators:
Getty Research Institute
Abstract:
A collection of modern photographs assembled by the Getty Research Institute of ancient mosaics, both in situ and removed, concentrating on the Greek and Roman periods, Greek Archaic through the late Roman Empire (6th century BC-6th century AD).
Extent:
32.7 linear feet (156 boxes)
Language:
Collection material is in English

Background

Scope and content:

An assembled collection of modern photographs of ancient mosaics, both in situ and removed, concentrating on the Greek and Roman periods, Greek Archaic through the late Roman Empire (6th century BC-6th century AD). Photographic coverage of ancient sites is most complete for the countries of Greece, Italy, Libya, Tunisia, and Turkey, but the collection also contains photos of mosaics from other countries, including Algeria, Austria, Cyprus, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, and Yugoslavia.

The collection contains photographs from numerous sources including commercial vendors and photographers, research institutions' archives, excavation campaigns, and scholars' archives and collections. Among the commercial sources, the most important are Alinari (including the Anderson and Brogi archives); Photographie Giraudon; Gabinetto fotografico nazionale, Rome, including the Antonio Giuliano collection; Hirmer Verlag; Rheinisches Bildarchiv Köln; Scala Art Resource; Barbara Bini; John Ross; and Emile Serafis.

Some of the research institutions' archives from which the collection holds modern prints are the Fototeca unione at the American Academy in Rome; Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI), Athens and Rome; École française d'archéologie d'Athènes; Art Museum, Princeton University; and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

Arrangement

Arrangement is geographical, filed alphabetically by name of modern country, then name of ancient city or site, and monument.

Biographical / historical:

In 1974, the J. Paul Getty Museum began assembling a "photo library" by consolidating the visual resources of each existing curatorial department. By the early 1980s, the Photo Archive was actively acquiring large collections of photographs from commercial and private sources and scholars' archives that contained a photographic component. In 1983, the nearly one million photographs of the Photo Archive were incorporated into the Research Institute's Special Collections.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Location of this collection:
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, US
Contact:
(310) 440-7390
Website