It took a long time for photography to be accepted as an art form and for museums to form photography collections. In 1982, the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House compiled the first edition of this title, covering 400 collections that included some 19,000 photographers; a second edition came out in 1990. Now, as a result of both additional collections and more detailed inventories of older ones, this third edition lists almost 600 collections including close to 67,000 photographers. The information, obtained by surveying institutions on their holdings, is provided in two ways. Collections are arranged alphabetically first by state, then by city, and then by institution name, giving address, telephone number, and a contact name, followed by a list of the photographers included in the collection. Major and substantial holdings are indicated by a symbol next to the photographer's name; if no symbol is shown, holdings are assumed to be less than 25 photographs. The institutions include public and academic libraries, historical societies, newspaper and magazine libraries, as well as museums. The second section, an index by photographer name, shows each of the institutions holding their works with major and substantial holdings shown first. Some photographers' names appear without any holdings designated; these have been listed in exhibition catalogs but are not currently cataloged as being held at any reporting institution. The index identifies all photographers with nationality and dates if available; (e.g., "Cunningham, Imogen, American 1883^-1976" ; "Lekegian, G., & Cie, French, Active: 1860s^-1900s" ). A special list ranks the top-100 collected photographers in 1995 and in 1990. From the beginning, Ansel Adams has remained the top collected photographer (in 1990 in 37 collections, and by 1995 in 147); Edward Weston similarly has remained number two. Running heads are a welcome feature in the collections listing, since some entries are many pages in length.
A major undertaking and accomplishment, this enlarged third edition of the Index to American Photographic Collections will be a boon to all photography scholars. A unique source, it will be a required purchase for museum, large public, and academic libraries as a research tool for scholars, students, and collectors.
