An Inventory of Their Collection of Photographic Copy Prints at the Harry
Ransom Center
Creator:
Gernsheim, Helmut,
1913-1995; and Gernsheim,
Alison
Title:
Helmut and Alison Gernsheim Collection
of Photographic Copy Prints
Dates:
circa 1900-1950s
Extent:
39 document boxes, 11 newspaper boxes (34.63 linear feet)
Abstract:
Photographic copy prints, made and/or
collected by Helmut and Alison Gernsheim, of photographs that range in date from the
early to mid-20th century. The prints relate to the photographs from the Gernsheim
Collection held at the Ransom Center and the couple’s research into the history of
photography.
Call Number:
Photography Collection
PH-02412
Language:
English
Access:
Open for research. Part or all of this collection is housed off-site and may
require up to three business days' notice for access in the Ransom Center's
Reading and Viewing Room. Please contact the Center before requesting this
material: reference@hrc.utexas.edu.
Administrative Information
Acquisition:
Purchase, 1963
Processed by:
Hagan Barber, Jack Boettcher, Heather Bollinger, Kelsey Handler, 2012
Note:
This finding aid replicates some information previously available only in a card
catalog. Please see the explanatory note at the end of this finding aid for
information regarding the arrangement of the manuscripts as well as the
abbreviations commonly used in descriptions.
The collection consists of photographic copy prints made and/or collected by Helmut
and Alison Gernsheim. The prints relate to the photographs from the Gernsheim
Collection held at the Ransom Center and the couple’s research into the history of
photography. The copy prints are of photographs, advertisements, and
photography-related ephemera from the Gernsheims' personal collection as well as
other photographs held in museums. The prints are of photographs that range in date
from the early 20th century to the 1950s.
The collection is arranged into the following four series: I. Photographers, II.
Subjects, III. Art and Photography Processes, and IV. Exhibition Prints. The first
series is comprised of copy prints of photographs by various photographers, and it
is arranged alphabetically by the photographers' last names or studio name.
Photographers well represented include: Antonio Beato, Julia Margaret Cameron,
Philip Henry Delamotte, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), Harold Edgerton,
Peter Henry Emerson, Roger Fenton, J. E. Mayall, Oscar Gustave Rejlander, John
Thomson, and W. & D. Downey.
Series II. Subjects, is arranged alphabetically by subject heading. It includes a
large volume of architectural photography in addition to photographs of historical
events and figures, royalty, and men, women and children. The photographs of
historical events and figures are further broken down between images found within
the Ransom Center's holdings and those from other institutions.
The third series, Art and Photographic Processes, consists of copy prints of
different artistic and photographic techniques. Examples of processes include
calotypes, daguerreotypes, and lithographs. The series also includes copy prints of
photographic equipment and advertisements.
Series IV. Exhibition Prints, contains copy prints made by the Gernsheims which were
intended for exhibition. The prints are arranged according to the type of support
used to mount each image and/or by surface treatment; the majority of the prints are
mounted on Masonite. Each group of photographs were likely produced for different
exhibitions. Many of the exhibition prints are duplicates of copy prints found in
the other three series.
