ABSTRACT
The phenomenon of collecting and exhibiting photography within public libraries rested on the simple recognition that the photograph is a form of information, as well as a tool in dispersing visual culture. Basic techniques for accessioning, labeling, and classifying photographs was published by John Cotton Dana in A Library Primer, in 1899. Photographs made possible a virtual replica of the world’s art and architecture, and their exhibition at the Boston Public Library played an important role in transmitting the visual culture to an eager public. Most libraries were in the position of starting from scratch in establishing their photographic collections. Photographic reproductions of fine arts paintings, architecture, and sculpture filled the space formerly taken up by expensive engravings. Photographs were considered better than engravings for public use and vastly less costly, according to the Librarian of the Art Institute of Chicago in extolling their collection of carbon photographs representing works of art.
