Digitization and cataloguing the image archive of the publishing house Hirmer in Munich

• Applicant: Dr. Christian Bracht
• Subject Area: Art History
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 443167683

In 2017, the German Documentation Center for Art History – Image Archive Foto Marburg had the opportunity to purchase the photographic archive of the international renowned publishing house Hirmer in Munich. The archive contains nearly 70,000 photographs personally taken by Max und Albert Hirmer and Irmgard Ernstmeier-Hirmer in five decades. The thematic range of the approx. 35.000 motifs covers the entire spectrum of architecture, fine and decorative arts from antiquity up to modern times.After acquisition of the archive, digitization and databased cataloguing started, however, the work has only been fulfilled to a fraction of completion. At the present time approx. 21,500 photographic negatives remain for digitization, about 32.000 are to catalogue and to publish online.The aim of the application is to complete digitization and cataloguing in order to make the demanded and for scholarly research highly important stock accessible. The photographs will be published with free access in the Digital Index of Art and Architecture, where they can be researched by a variety of criteria (locations, artists, genre, date of depicted objects, their materials and techniques, name of photographer and date of photo shooting). The possibility to download a copy of the digital image at no charge for private and schorlarly purpose will be set up. Furthermore, providing the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek and Europeana with metadata and pictorial material is scheduled.

• DFG Programme: Cataloguing and Digitisation (Scientific Library Services and Information Systems)