The definition of a photographic archive is: a collection of photographic images, either as physical media or as a digital archive. Photo archives usually consist of libraries or museums that hold a collection of images. Not all archives are by museums and libraries though, individuals and institutions can have archives. There is a distinction between private and public archives. Everybody has their own private archive, whether it is the photographs taken on your phone, or the family photograph albums kept inside the house. Public archives are usually by museums and libraries and usually contain a number of historical and current photographs.
Photo archives are incredibly important on capturing and preserving historical moments. Whether it is a simple photo that captures day-to-day life, or major images that capture a crucial event, or an image capturing objects/buildings/landscape/portraits. By preserving moments in time, the photos can be used to reflect and compare, and can provide an insight into how life was at a certain moment in time. Public archives especially, provide a key role in analyzing historical periods/events are photographs can provide a true representation of what happens.
Photographic archives are usually contained and stored in order of their date and have reference numbers. Reference numbers enable efficiency of location and storage of the individual/collection of images. Physical documents like photographs are often stored in acid proof boxes to prevent damage and can also be handled with gloves to aid in preservation. It is crucial to maximize preservation of archival images as they provide an insight into the cultural and historical memories of the past that can remain forever. They also provide a more factual and insightful view into the past.
An archive is basically a collection of memories, and photographs capture moments in time 'memories'. By holding onto these moments in time enables archives and museums to provide a more realistic portrayal of that moment in time in that specific era. Both photographic and material archives are very important to me. I like to take pictures of what I am doing in both my day to day life and of people I meet. I have a book at home containing portrait photos I have taken of people on a disposable camera. I also have a box that I keep in my wardrobe containing items that are incredibly precious to me, including photographs of my grandparents, cards I have received from those who are important in my life, to my grandmothers necklace that she gave to me before she died. I believe that everyone has their own archive of items and photographs that are precious to them, and just don't realize how important and prominent they are to their lives.
As a teenager, my current archive consistently features people/friends I am with and places I am visiting. I am guessing when I'm an adult my photo-archive will change as I grow up, and it will probably mainly consist of the children I will have. I am guessing this as my Mums personal archive changed from photos of herself and her friends during her youth, and now her camera roll mainly consists of myself, my sisters and things to do with her work, as she runs her own business and she needs to take photos for their Facebook page. I am also guessing that my archive of adulthood will be more mature photos, as I tend to take photos which would be considered silly and childish (for example my friends at an unflattering angle). However I also think that my archive will still be mainly based on people as I have always had an interest in photographing portraits of people as I find them interesting to look at.
My personal study is on the Occupation of Jersey, which is occurred during World War 2 and was during Sep 1, 1939 – Sep 2, 1945. I was born in 2001 so there is a 62 year difference from my birth to the beginning of the war. I have no personal experiences with WW2, the only personal knowledge is from my granddad and his sister when they had to move from Jersey to the UK to live in the countryside as they were children and that was where the children were sent to during the war. Therefore looking at archival material enriches my personal study as it provides a direct image of a specific moment of time. I am able to see the development of buildings and the way people lived. By looking at these images I gain a greater idea of what life was like during WW2 meaning I can personalize my work to fit the image I think what WW2 was like. Also for my zine I needed to create a narrative and by looking at archival material aids in me creating a narrative and realizing that I could combine my images and archival images to create a running narrative.
I have learned that photo archives provide a key role in displaying an alternative view to how life was during the Occupation compared to history lessons. Photographic archives show a more wholesome way of life and just shows that the war wasn't just guns and explosions, it was people living their day to day lives, adjusting it to the conditions of the war. It also shows the war from a German perspective as some of the photos from the Societe Jersey were taken by German soldiers. Although WW2 was a brutal and horrible war, people still had to live their day-to-day lives, and the small activities that they did that were photographed provide a more accurate insight in what they did and how they lived. I also learned from photographic archives how buildings are built for specific uses and the difference between German architecture compared to Jersey architecture both now and then.
