Last year, the photography collection at the Münchner Stadtmuseum was able to expand its holdings with a large number of top-class works. The purchase of 8400 precious originals from the period between 1840 and 1890 was financed by the City of Munich, the Kulturstiftung der Länder, the Ernst-von-Siemens-Kulturstiftung, the Hypo-Kulturstiftung and the Wüstenrot Stiftung. The unique collection, including […]
Last year, the photography collection at the Münchner Stadtmuseum was able to expand its holdings with a large number of top-class works. The purchase of 8400 precious originals from the period between 1840 and 1890 was financed by the City of Munich, the Kulturstiftung der Länder, the Ernst-von-Siemens-Kulturstiftung, the Hypo-Kulturstiftung and the Wüstenrot Foundation.
The unique collection, including numerous unique items, was compiled by the collector Dietmar Siegert and comprises thematic photographs from Germany in the 19th century. An initial selection (220 photos) was shown to the public at the Munich City Museum back in 2013. The exhibition “Between Biedermeier and Wilhelminian style” with the publication of the same name published by Schirmer-Mosel represents a cross-section of the extensive collection.
All technical processes of the early medium of photography are represented: daguerreotypes, salt paper, albumen and early baryta paper prints, as well as ferrotypes and stereoviews. These include single sheets in all the usual formats as well as albums and portfolios. The motifs range from landscapes and nature studies to architecture, city and travel photography. Portraits and genre pictures round off the picture of German society at the time. The photographers in the collection include many internationally renowned artists and studios such as Joseph Albert, Bertha Wehnert-Beckmann, Georg Maria Eckert, Ludwig Belitski, Georg Koppmann, Franz Hanfstaengl, Charles Marville, Felix Alexander Oppenheim and numerous other well-known photographers.
Work is currently underway on the systematic inventory and scientific indexing, as well as the digitization of all objects. The Stadtmuseum has provided funding for an art historian and a photographer for this purpose. After recording the condition of the collection, a concept for conservation was drawn up by the photo restoration department. The state of preservation of the collection can be classified as very good. First of all, the seals and cover glasses of the daguerreotypes were checked and replaced if necessary. Leaky adhesions can lead to corrosion of the daguerreotype because substances from the ambient air can penetrate with possible pollutants.
In the existing depot, the collection is housed as a separate collection in plan cabinets. In detail, the storage of the prints depends on the use (presentation), the original mounting and the format (in albums, carte de visite). The prints that were exhibited are stored under passepartout and interleaving sheet. Albumen prints with original cardboard are protected by opaque sleeves made of photo archive paper. Fragile prints without lamination are additionally backed with museum cardboard and packed in individual paper sleeves. The albums, in turn, are stored in custom-made archive boxes, which are stored in metal cabinets. Paper materials are generally used as they are breathable. Conservation measures on the prints are limited to surface cleaning and stabilization of mechanical damage such as creases and tears.
Literature reference:
Pohlmann, Ulrich and Dietmar Siegert (eds.): Zwischen Biedermeier und Gründerzeit. Deutschland in frühen Photographien 1840-1890 aus der Sammlung Siegert, exhib. cat. Stadtmuseum München, Munich (Schirmer-Mosel Verlag) 2012, 366 pages, 291 color plates, 49.80 euros.
You can read more articles on the subject of photo restoration in RESTAURO 7/2015.
The current exhibition program at the Münchner Stadtmuseum
Here you can read the exhibition review of “Off to Munich!” at the Münchner Stadtmuseum.
