Zprávy památkové péče 2016, 76(1):66-70

Reading photographs on the example of photographic material from the mobiliary fund of the Březnice State Castle

Markéta Slabová

The article deals with the method of reading photographs on the example of the photographic material from the mobiliary fund of the Březnice State Castle. Although the mobiliary collections of state castles contain a number of photographic material (individual photos, albums, negatives, etc.), historic photographs have so far been generally used only as an attractive decoration for interior installations. Since the 1970's, photographic material has been undergoing continuous systematic processing and, in recent years, its digitization. The content potential of photos stored in the mobiliary funds of the castles administered by the National Heritage Institute, however, has remained nearly unused, with rare exceptions. The situation is currently changing, and photographs are being increasingly perceived as a historical source of valuable information, for example, on learning about the history of the material culture and everyday life. The author attempts, based on an analysis of several photos pertaining to travel, to demonstrate the use of the method of reading photos in routine practice and to outline the advantages and pitfalls that this method generally entails. The selected photographs are from the Palffy family's expeditions to Africa in the early 20th century and are part of the mobiliary fund of the Březnice State Castle. The explanation of the procedure for obtaining information from specific photographs is preceded by a brief introduction dealing with the methodology in processing the content aspect of the photographic material and an analysis of the collection of photos stored in the mobiliary fund of the Březnice State Castle.

Keywords: photography; travel; Africa; Palffy; Březnice

Published: March 1, 2016  Show citation