Photographs, Museums, Collections: Between Art and Information

Book Details

• Publisher: By

• Author: Elizabeth Edwards

• Language: English

• Edition: –

• ISBN: 9781350133280

• Pages: 304

• Cover: Paperback

• Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches

About The Book

Photographs and the Practice of History, by Elizabeth Edwards, offers a groundbreaking and richly detailed examination of how photographs have been collected, used, and understood within museum settings. This meticulously researched volume addresses the complex status of photography in museum collections—balancing between documentary tool and aesthetic object—and questions its evolving place within institutional hierarchies.

Despite their ubiquity in museum ecosystems, many photographic collections remain uncatalogued, unexhibited, and often unrecognized for their historical significance. Edwards addresses this paradox by presenting an array of case studies that span different institutions, geographies, and disciplinary frameworks. Drawing from art galleries, maritime museums, national archives, and local history centers, the book investigates how photographs have served as evidence, corroboration, and context for other objects, shaping the very ways we perceive and interpret collections.

The chapters explore critical questions such as: What historical patterns have shaped how photographs are collected and preserved? How do aesthetics and evidential value influence curatorial decisions? What is the intellectual labor behind photograph collections, and how do they intersect with broader histories of science, anthropology, archaeology, and museum studies?

International in scope—with insights from the UK, France, Germany, South Africa, Cuba, and New Zealand—this book not only contributes to the fields of museology and archival studies, but also opens up new conversations on the poetics and politics of visual documentation.

An essential read for professionals in museum studies, history, anthropology, and visual culture, Photographs and the Practice of History provides both a conceptual framework and a methodological toolkit for engaging with photographic archives in nuanced and meaningful ways.