Photographic Preservation - The Brown Family Collection

This project focuses on the methodology of assigning intellectual and physical arrangement to private family photographic collections. The Brown Family Archive is a case study that works directly with the Brown Family and Lake County Historical Museum in Crown Point, Indiana. The collection brings together photographs and related artifacts from the Civil War, The First National Bank of Crown Point, Indiana, and several interrelated families. The scope of the collection is analogous to many family collections. It is historically and culturally significant due to its visual documentation of a sociological milieu in the United States during 18th and 19th centuries. The photographs offer insight into the problem of deterioration due to improper housing, mishandling, and chemical break down. Through research and best practices in photographic preservation and collections management, the project delivers a model for use by family historians, museums, historical societies and libraries.