ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the significance of photography in industrial history and as a source for the understanding and interpretation of industrial heritage sites. It introduces some basic notes on the collection, cataloguing, interpretation and use of images. The history of photography, that is, the making of durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, is an integral part of the history of industrial society. The difference between the practice of historians and the societal use of images increases, and it is necessary to bring up and emphasise the importance of images in research and the interpretation of industrial heritage. With digital techniques of today images can be caught in a fraction of a second and be spread over the world almost instantly. The most immediate sources of images of an industrial site are the company itself, its archives, its employees, the local administrative authorities, professional and semi-professional photographers, and the local newspapers.
