The Incredible Past and Pivotal Future of the New York Public Library Picture Collection | The Slowdown

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A photograph of images from the Picture Collection’s Handshaking folder by Taryn Simon, featured in the exhibition “The Color of a Flea’s Eye.” — A photograph of images from the Picture Collection’s Handshaking folder by Taryn Simon, featured in the exhibition “The Color of a Flea’s Eye.” (Photo: Taryn Simon. Courtesy Gagosian.)

The Incredible Past and Pivotal Future of the New York Public Library Picture Collection

The library had planned to archive the collection, but recently decided against it after calls to reconsider its contents, legacy, and purpose.

September 21, 2021

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Since 1915, New York Public Library users in search of visual information have consulted its Picture Collection. It consists of images cut from magazines, catalogues, and books, each glued to backings and organized into folders encompassing a remarkable range of topics—including Praying, Transgenderism, Fairies, Oxygen, and Rear Views—that are presented on shelves in Room 100 for anyone to browse.

#History #Media #Literature #Culture

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