Rare Books and Manuscripts

The collection (acquired in 1996 by gift-transfer) is a valuable resource for the study of 19th-century photographic, social, and art history. Originally designed as a teaching collection, and international in character, the material includes virtually every type of photograph ever made:

• albumen and gelatin prints
• ambrotypes
• cabinet cards
• cartes-de-visite
• daguerreotypes (going back to 1842)
• ivorytypes
• opalotypes
• panotypes (on leather)
• prints on canvas and silk
• salt prints
• stereo cards
• tintypes

Many are overpainted, varying in character from genuine art objects to casually produced folk art. The subject matter also varies, ranging from the formal portraits characteristic of the period to travel scenes, architectural studies, and curious side-show spectacles. Among the most striking pictures are those depicting scenes of the Crimean War, one of the earliest military engagements to be recorded by photography.

The collection also contains daguerreotype cases of several designs, a minor art form in its own right, and other artifacts connected with photography, including a few cameras.

The B. and H. Henisch Photo-History Collection Exhibit Room, dedicated on November 14, 2000, contains a display area for changing exhibits and is accessible to the public for study purposes.

An online guide to the collection is available.

Heinz K. Henisch was Emeritus Professor of the History of Photography. He and his wife, Bridget A. Henisch, collaborated on three photo-history books, all published by Penn State Press. Many of the items in the collection are described in these books:

 

Special Collections Library
104 Paterno Library
University Park, PA 16802
Telephone: (814) 865-7931, (814) 865-1793
Fax: (814) 863-5318

email us!