Photographs and related research material documenting Romanesque sculpture and architecture in southern France and northern Spain comprise this collection. Frances Terpak photographed the majority of the images and compiled the other materials in the course of research for her dissertation, "The Romanesque Architecture and Sculpture of Saint Caprais in Agen" (Yale University, 1982), and for subsequent scholarly articles. Over 150 rolls of 35mm negatives shot by Terpak and over 2000 images printed from these negatives form the bulk of the collection. Also included are a small number of photographs acquired from institutional and commercial sources, including Bildarchiv Foto Marburg, Guntram Koch, Photo Zodiaque and Archivo Moreno. Related research materials, such as notes, keyed architectural plans, and shot lists, complement the photographs.

Frances Terpak studied art history at the Pennsylvania State University (BA 1970, MA 1972). A student of Jan van der Meulen, she wrote her master's thesis on the iconography of the Incarnation portal on the west facade of Chartres Cathedral. Terpak continued her study of medieval art at Yale University, completing her dissertation, "The Romanesque Architecture and Sculpture of Saint Caprais in Agen," in 1982. During this period of her studies, Terpak also proved to be an extremely skilled photographer. Following in the scholar-photographer role of her mentor Meulen, Terpak understood precisely what an art historian needed to see in a documentary study photograph - the framing, shot angle, focus, depth of field and lighting - and unlike most art historians, she had the photographic skill to actually capture that image.

7.9 linear feet (18 boxes)

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