The photograph collection stands at about ten million.
Some of these are art prints and negatives directly from studios such as MGM, RKO, Paramount, and a recent large acquisition from United Artists.
Others have come from personal collections such as those of John Hess, John Engstead, and Edward Steichen.
Some of these are art prints and negatives directly from studios such as MGM, RKO, Paramount, and a recent large acquisition from United Artists.
Others have come from personal collections such as those of John Hess, John Engstead, and Edward Steichen.
The photos do not always arrive in good shape.
Many have to be rewashed, flattened, put in an auto dryer. Film emulsion and the paper behave differently, so the library stores them face to face, back to back to keep like materials with like. With the carefully controlled conditions in the stacks there is no chance of moisture sticking them together, and they stay nice and flat. Apparently stored in the same direction (still practiced in some collections) they warp into a giant C. Not so good.
Many have to be rewashed, flattened, put in an auto dryer. Film emulsion and the paper behave differently, so the library stores them face to face, back to back to keep like materials with like. With the carefully controlled conditions in the stacks there is no chance of moisture sticking them together, and they stay nice and flat. Apparently stored in the same direction (still practiced in some collections) they warp into a giant C. Not so good.
