Images from the Conway Library on the Art and Architecture web site have been selected from a very extensive collection. Responsibility for the visual documentation of the arts at the Courtauld Institute is shared between its two photographic libraries. The Witt Library handles paintings and drawings, the Conway mainly three-dimensional work, i.e. architecture and sculpture . However, the Conway, which has always been a thriving centre for medieval studies, extends its holdings for this period to include a wide coverage of illuminated manuscripts and applied arts, such as ivory carving, metalwork and stained glass. Another large section of the library is devoted to architectural drawings from the renaissance to the modern period. In all, the Conway Library contains just over one million images, either original photographs or cuttings from journals and catalogues. The art on record ranges from Classical Antiquity to the most contemporary manifestations, now including a section on photographic and video arts and installations.

The selection for the Art and Architecture Website is intended to reflect the breadth and depth of the collection. Most of the images are taken from negative stored at the Courtauld Institute. This means they are the work either of the Institute’s own photographers, or that they were taken by students and scholars in the field, who have been happy to donate their film. The richness and variety of the contents of the website have been considerably enhanced by the generosity of two photographers, Tim Benton and James Austin, whose pictures figure largely in the collection, but who have retained their negatives. Both have permitted free use of their images on the web site. And then, of course, we are the proud owners of much historic material, nineteenth century and later photographs, long out of copyright, and therefore available for inclusion.

It should not be forgotten that the images on the Art and Architecture web site are the tip of an iceberg, and constitute only a small proportion of the library as a whole. Some areas of the collection, such as manuscripts and architectural drawings, have been entirely omitted. Users who wish to find out more about the extent of the library’s holdings should preferably make a visit or write. For the purchase of conventional photographic prints it is desirable that the title and negative number of the image should be quoted. The library is open from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. except during Easter and Christmas/New Year breaks. It is advisable to telephone in advance of your first visit, to ensure that you receive the necessary directions to assist you in your search.

The Conway Library, Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R ORN.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7848 2782

Email enquiries can be addressed to geoffrey.fisher@courtauld.ac.uk.