Jeremy Rowe - US

Researcher, writer, collector

Jeremy Rowe

Jeremy Rowe will be interviewed by Rixt Bosma about Geo Referencing

Photographs are primary source documents that, just like manuscripts and printed documents, carry many types of embedded information.

As a result, photographs have their own unique vocabulary and require their own literacy to be fully understood. Understanding photographs involves looking at several elements.

Time – How the image fits into the continuum of photography – is it unique, interesting, or innovative in terms of time and aesthetics?

Place – Are there unique aspects of the location where the image was made, be it scenic or portrait.

Context – Is there information about the photographer and their work within which the image fits? Does this context provide any new information that can help better understand both the creator and subject? Much of the interest in provenance or identification of daguerreotypes revolves around the location for scenic images, or for portraits, identification of the photographer and subject.

As an example of a research strategy that can be used to study the time, place, and context of the development of early photographic businesses in America, a project to research and geo-reference the early photographic studios in New York City using information culled from imprints, census records, city directories and other period sources is described.

More info: https://www.vintagephoto.com

Photo: Thomas Harris