Researching Photography

Many books relating to photography will have call numbers beginning with TR.  TRs can be found in the art library (Marquand), in Firestone and off-site (ReCAP and Forrestal Annex), the latter of which are requested via the library catalog and take a day or two--M-F counted only--to arrive at the designated pick-up location.  This is not to say you won't also find photography books with other call numbers, anything starting with A to Z (each letter refers to a particular subject area).

Note about Marquand: Marquand is non-circulating.  All books must be consulted on the C Floor of Firestone. For more information, see the art library website. Any book with a status of ASK STAFF is usually in use either in one of our reading rooms or in a faculty office. Please email marquand@princeton.edu to inquire or call us at 609-258-3783, or -8146.

Keyword searches in the library catalog will yield many results, some useful, some not, but don't be afraid to do a Subject (browse) search.  Examples of subject terms (aka "headings"):

PHOTOBOOKS

PHOTOGRAPHERS (similarly, see the following Animals as photographers; Architecture photographers; Automobile photographers; Blind photographers; Camera operators; Child photographers; Cinematographers; Daguerreotypists; Expatriate photographers; Food photographers; Gay photographers; Girl photographers; Indian photographers; Jewish photographers; Landscape photographers; Lesbian photographers; Painters as photographers; Paparazzi; Photogrammetrists; Photographers with visual disabilities; Photographic assistants; Photojournalists; Portrait photographers; Sports photographers; Teenage photographers; War photographers; Wildlife photographers; Women photographers; and, Young photographers

PHOTOGRAPHS

PHOTOGRAPHY (you will see many, many subheadings listed next to Photography (in alpha. order), e.g. Photography--19th Century..., Photography--United States.  Same thing if you start with Photographic.

(related terms: Action photography; Aerial photography; Ambrotype; Applied photography; Architectural photography; Architecture and photography; Art and photography; Astronomical photography; Auroral photography; Available light photography; Black-and-white photography; Calendar art; Calotype; Chronophotography; Cinematography; Cinematography and photography; Classification—Books—Photography; Collotype; Color photography; Commercial photography; Composition (Photography); Daguerreotype; Depth of field (Photography); Documentary photography; Electrooptical photography; Electrophotography; Eye—Movements—Photographic measurements; Fascism and photography; Haiku in photography; Heliotype; Hemispherical photography; Hidden camera photography; Historiography and photography; Homeland in photography; Images, Photographic; Indoor photography; Infrared photography; Kirlian photography; Legal photography; Libraries—Special collections—Photography; Literature and photography; Microphotography; Museums and photography; Nature photography; Orthophotography; Outdoor photography; Photoceramics; Photogenic drawing; Photography, Tropical; Photomechanical processes; Photosculpture; Physautotype; Portrait photography; Repeat photography; Sequence photography; Spirit photography; Stage photography; Stereoscope; Telephotography; Time and photography; Tintype; Travel photography; Trick photography; Vernacular photography; Wide-angle photography; Zen photography; and Zoom lens photography)

There is also a whole list of headings beginning with the word VISUAL that may be worth exploring too, or try a Subject (keyword) search for visual or other that might not be at the beginning of the heading.

For individual photographers, do a Subject search with Last name, First name as both Author and Subject.

An Advanced Search will allow you to combine a official Subject term, e.g. History Photography, with a keyword, like: civil war or "civil war" . 

The sub-heading Pictorial Works is often used in conjunction with books that deal with a particular topic (any you can think of), in which images are central, e.g. United States--Social Life and Customs--1918-1945--Pictorial works. One can do a Subject (keyword) and type in: pictorial works. There are some 40,000 results, but there are numerous ways to narrow down the list using the options on the left-hand side. For example, click on Classification, and you can see a breakdown of the results by Library of Congress subject areas. An Advanced Search allows combinations with specific keywords.

Titles include:

Photography and Cinema
Photography and Australia (also, China, Ireland, Japan, USA, Egypt, Italy, etc.)
Photography and Literature
Photography and Science
Photography and Flight
Photography and Exploration 
Photography and Travel     etc.

Look for in the library catalog.

Full list of titles here.

Sets on Microfilm: Marquand has the History of Photography set of digitized monographs and periodicals. 

Websites: see Art History Resources on the Web

Lists of Resources from notable library and museum collections: PUAM, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art (NY), and New York Public Library. Other collections can be found on this page.