Internet Research

Over the past several years of graduate school, university-level teaching and independent work, I have become adept at fast and thorough image research on the Internet. Through university affiliations, I have access to many private databases such as those of Yale, Harvard and seven other New England colleges. These digital archives include over 500,000 images as well as the in-depth archives of over 100 specialized private collections. (For example, the Internet Mission Collection contains more than 10,000 photos taken by Christian missionaries between 1850 and World War II.)

Experience has made me proficient at navigating the labyrinth of public digital collections. I have assembled nearly forty of the most useful public image archives, from photography publishing houses’ collections and institutions such as the Smithsonian to industry blogs and specialized websites by private individuals. I can also do specific searches that require contacting institutions, sifting through obscure blogs, and gaining access to personal albums.

Some of examples of the type of Internet searches I have done:

1 hour of work - a list of websites and keywords to input to find what you need
Ex: A list of 30 blogs and websites containing the work of illustrators currently working in Scotland

Half a day of work – everything I find on one specific topic
Ex: 500 images on prostitution in Mexico City from 1990 to the present

1 Day of work – an outline of what is available and some examples for a broader topic
Ex: A list of the 25 most notable artists living and working in Vienna in the 1890’s and 5 to 25 examples of work for each

Several days of work – an entire subject explored and cataloged in its entirety
Ex: 1000+ images, any photo of an African American on the East Coast taken between 1920 and 1945 available online in public and private archives

We can arrange for more extended research over the course of days, communicating about what to pursue further and how to do so

Library Research

With access to the private collections

at Yale, Harvard and seven other New England colleges, I can research their broad holdings. Also available is a variety of very specialized collections as well as large public collections such as the Boston Public Library Image Resources, the New York Public Library Photo collection, and smaller, specialized public collections like the Brooklyn Historical Society or the Schomberg Center for Research on African American Culture. I am in contact with researchers and librarians all over the world. Let me know what you are looking for, and I can find the library that has it.

Some examples of this kind of work I have done before:

1 day of work – a specific search at one library
Ex: All 50 photos the Brooklyn Historical Society has of housing in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn from 1900-1950, and some statistics about them

2 – 3 days of work – acquiring and cataloguing everything an institution has in a subject area
Ex: 400 images and some information on late 18th century interiors in Britain, everything Yale has to offer

Site-specific Research

I have also done more unconventional forms of research not listed above. Some examples include:

1 week of work (after two weeks of preparation and travel) – making contact with and gathering images from a specific group of private individuals
Ex: 250 photos taken between 1982 and 1985 of families gathered from 10 photo albums owned by members of a Polish-American church outside Pittsburgh

1 day of work (after one week of preparation) – making contact with and gathering material from an institution
Ex: Pictures of band uniforms, sheet music and images from school yearbooks of the marching bands at Boston high schools in the Roxbury area in the late 70’s

Delivery

Online web-album: anyone invited to the album may post comments below images which will be visible to everyone in the group
Email: in one comprehensive file or as I receive images
Regular Mail: CDs or hard-copies in folders, overnight, 2-Day or Standard
In Person: I can prepare presentation of research, lead your team through selecting relevant images and prepare a master database or binder of selected images

Time Frame

As soon as 5 days for library research
I can give you an estimate of time within half a day when I know what I am looking for and how to go about it
Rush may be possible

Pricing

Depends upon the type of research (internet, library, and site-specific) and expenses (delivery,