32698 - History, Conservation and Cataloguing of Photography and Audiovisuals

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student knows in depth the history of photography and audiovisuals, cataloging techniques and related methodologies, also in relation to new digital technologies; knows the main critical and theoretical aspects of the history of photography, in particular as a tool for the documentation and study of cultural heritage; will be able to apply this knowledge to the work of documenting cultural heritage

Course contents

The course examines the role of photography as a tool for the study, documentation, and interpretation of cultural heritage, tracing the evolution of phototheks and photographic archives from the second half of the nineteenth century to today's digital platforms for art historical research.

The first part of the course focuses on the emergence of photography as a means of documenting works of art and its gradual establishment as an essential instrument for art history, heritage conservation, and the cataloguing of cultural heritage. It explores the major photographic campaigns undertaken to document monuments and works of art, examining how the evolution of photographic practices intersected with the development of art history as an academic discipline and with changing approaches to heritage protection.

Particular attention is devoted to the history of phototheks and photographic archives, understood not merely as repositories of images but as research infrastructures that have played a fundamental role in shaping art historical knowledge. Through a series of significant case studies, students will examine the origins and development of major Italian and international institutions, including the Alinari Archives, the Warburg Institute, the National Photographic Cabinet (Gabinetto Fotografico Nazionale), the Central Photographic Archive (Archivio Fotografico Centrale), the Central Institute for Catalogue and Documentation (ICCD), the Bildarchiv Foto Marburg, as well as leading university and museum phototheks.

The course also investigates the ways in which photographs have been commissioned, produced, selected, catalogued, archived, and used over time, highlighting the relationship between photography, art criticism, restoration history, heritage conservation, and the construction of the visual memory of cultural heritage. From this perspective, photography is considered not only as documentary evidence but also as an interpretative medium capable of shaping the study, understanding, and dissemination of works of art.

The second part of the course introduces the principles governing the management, description, and enhancement of photographic collections, with particular emphasis on national and international cataloguing standards and methodologies for the description of photographic materials. Students will become familiar with the principal cataloguing models developed by the ICCD, the structure of the Scheda F (Photographic Record), and the metadata standards adopted in the management of photographic collections, while also addressing issues related to description, indexing, and collection management.

The final part of the course is devoted to digital archives and online databases for art history. It examines the principal national and international platforms for the preservation, dissemination, and study of photographic and artistic heritage—including Europeana, Google Arts & Culture, the Getty Research Institute, JSTOR Artstor, and other specialist databases—while addressing issues related to digitization, digital preservation, data interoperability, international standards, open access, copyright, and the opportunities offered by Digital Humanities and artificial intelligence for art historical research.

The course may include study visits to phototheks, photographic archives, specialist libraries, and institutions involved in the preservation and enhancement of photographic heritage, as well as practical workshops devoted to the use of digital databases and the cataloguing of photographic materials

Readings/Bibliography

A) Required Reading

Caraffa, C. (ed.), Photo Archives and the Photographic Memory of Art History, Berlin–Munich, Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2011 (available in digital format on the course's virtual learning platform). Students are required to study only the chapters assigned and discussed during the course.

ICCD, Normativa per la catalogazione dei beni fotografici. Scheda F, 1999 and subsequent updates (available in digital format on the course's virtual learning platform).

ICCD, Normativa per la catalogazione dei beni fotografici. Scheda FF, 2014 and subsequent updates (available in digital format on the course's virtual learning platform).

B) Further Reading

Tomassini, L., L'Italia nei cataloghi Alinari dell'Ottocento. Gerarchie della rappresentazione del «bel paese» fra cultura e mercato, in A. C. Quintavalle, M. Maffioli (eds.), Fratelli Alinari fotografi in Firenze. 150 anni che illustrarono il mondo (1852–2002), Florence, Alinari, 2003, pp. 147–216.

Curzi, V., Adolfo Venturi e il catalogo nazionale delle opere d'arte, in Adolfo Venturi e la storia dell'arte oggi. Atti del Convegno di studi (Rome, 25–28 October 2006), Modena, Franco Cosimo Panini, 2008, pp. 63–68.

Levi, D., Da Cavalcaselle a Venturi. La documentazione fotografica della pittura tra connoisseurship e tutela, in A. M. Spiazzi, L. Maioli, C. Giudici (eds.), Gli archivi fotografici delle soprintendenze. Storia e tutela. Territori veneti e limitrofi. Atti della Giornata di Studi (Venice, 29 October 2008), Crocetta del Montello, Terra Ferma Edizioni, 2010.

Marsicola, C. (ed.), Il viaggio in Italia di Giovanni Gargiolli. Le origini del Gabinetto Fotografico Nazionale (1895–1913), Rome, Gangemi Editore, 2014.

Cavanna, P., Mambelli, F. (eds.), Un patrimonio da ordinare. I cataloghi a stampa dei fotografi. Atti delle giornate di studio (Bologna, Fondazione Federico Zeri, 29–30 May 2018), Bologna, Fondazione Federico Zeri – Università di Bologna, 2019 (Nuovi diari di lavoro, 6).

Mandolesi, S., L'Archivio Fotografico Nazionale dell'Istituto Luce (1928–1943). Monumenti e paesaggi d'Italia nelle fotografie della Serie L, «Acta Photographica», 3, 2004, pp. 52–60.

Additional study materials and further readings will be made available throughout the course via the course's virtual learning platform.

Teaching methods

The course combines lectures with guided analysis of photographs, archival documents, historical catalogues, and digital resources. Lectures will be supported by PowerPoint presentations and complemented by the consultation of online databases and photographic archives. Whenever possible, the course will also include study visits to phototheks and institutions dedicated to the preservation and management of photographic heritage.

Assessment methods

Attending students

The final assessment consists of an oral examination covering the topics addressed throughout the course. The examination will be based on the course lectures, the teaching materials made available through the course's virtual learning platform, and the required readings listed in the bibliography.

During the oral examination, students will be expected to demonstrate their knowledge of the historical development of phototheks and photographic archives for art history, the role of photography in the documentation, study, and conservation of cultural heritage, and the principal institutions, photographic collections, and databases examined during the course. Students will also be required to demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental principles of photographic cataloguing, with particular reference to the ICCD standards (Scheda F and Scheda FF), digitisation processes, and the issues related to the management, preservation, and enhancement of digital photographic archives.

Assessment will take into account the accuracy and depth of the knowledge acquired, the appropriate use of disciplinary terminology, the ability to establish critical connections between the different topics covered in the course, and the capacity to discuss the principal methodological issues addressed in the required readings.

Non-attending students

The examination consists of an oral assessment based on the readings listed in the bibliography and any additional teaching materials made available through the course's virtual learning platform.

Candidates will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of the history and development of the principal phototheks and photographic archives for art history, the role of photography in the documentation of cultural heritage, the major institutions and databases examined during the course, and the theoretical and methodological foundations of the cataloguing, management, and enhancement of both analogue and digital photographic collections. They will also be expected to discuss critically the topics addressed in the required readings and to place them within the broader context of contemporary art historical research.

Teaching tools

Lecture notes, additional readings, and other teaching materials are available on the University of Bologna's Virtuale platform: https://virtuale.unibo.it [https://virtuale.unibo.it/] .

The Virtuale platform also provides bibliographies and introductory publications that may serve as preparatory resources for the course, particularly for students with little or no previous background in the discipline.

Institutional notice: Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or disabilities (temporary or permanent) are strongly encouraged to contact the University's dedicated support office as early as possible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ). The office will assess the student's needs and define any appropriate accommodations, which should be submitted to the course instructor at least 15 days before the examination date for approval, in accordance with the learning objectives of the course.

Office hours

See the website of Raffaella Biscioni