Part of the difficulty of having a collection is keeping up with all the information I gather about each piece. When I first started collecting a few years ago, I could tell you where I found each piece and what I paid for it. But as I accumulated more and more, it became obvious that I needed a way to keep up with all this information.
I’ve read all kinds of books and articles on how to catalog a collection, but some of them were so complicated that I knew I’d be spending way too much time on it. I’m not a museum, and don’t pretend to have those types of standards when it come to the preciseness of describing each object.
What is most important to me is making sure I record any information that is not immediately obvious when looking at the object. My general description is pretty sketchy, but I also include a photo. I’m much more interested in recording what history I know of the object – the original owner, where it was purchased, where it was worn… It is fairly rare to be able to get this sort of information when buying from antique stores and online, but estate sale purchases often come with lots of tidbits about the original wearer and her life.
I’m also always on the lookout for references to an item in an ad or magazine article. Remember my Jantzen/Bates/Ballerino bathing suit? Any references in print are noted on each item’s card, as you can see in the example above. On the reverse of the card I’ve placed a copy of part of this ad.
I tend to think chronologically, and that is how I’ve organized the cards. The number at the top means this suit is in the late 1930s section, and is #13 in the garment (1) section. This makes it very easy for me to find this suit in my storage area. I also keep a notebook of clear envelopes for each section, and that is where I keep full copies of ads, receipts and other information I associate with that part of the collection.
This may seem like a big to-do for a private collection, but I have almost 800 pieces, and I’m really wanting to make sure that all the information gets saved for the next owner. Not that I’m planning to sell it, but I think we all know that we do not live forever. I also use this as a record for insurance purposes if the worst were to ever happen.
I want to show you the best museum record keeping system I’ve ever seen. This comes form the Nordic Museum in Stockholm, Sweden, and was begun as early as the 1890s. It was definitely in place by 1903, when Emelie von Waltersdorf was hired to maintain the record. She was a painter, and she made a careful watercolor of each item in the collection. Remarkably, this system was kept up until about ten years ago!
The photos are from the November/December 2011 issue of Selvedge magazine. I’ll post more about that magazine tomorrow.
Great post Lizzie and very helpful advice indeed. You’re so well organised! You’re not Capricorn by any chance? I thought I was organised but this really has inspired me to do more!