Behind the scenes: Our digitalizing process

Photographer Matthias Lindbäck and the repro photo setup that we use for the digitalization.

We are working on a comprehensive project of digitalizing our entire collection of photographs. With over 100.000 photo prints in our archive, this is a big project that will span over a few years. We see this as an essential task in our mission of preserving Swedish photo history for the future. This digital record will also be a very important tool for provenance and certification of works. Additionally, it can help researchers and scholars in their studies.

Each original photo print from our archive is digitally photographed, front and back, and is then given a unique identification number. In our system, we add all essential information, such as name of work, photographer, year, technique, if featured in publications, provenance, etc.

Highlight

Salvador Dalí x 2 by Kary H. Lasch

Swedish-Czech photographer Kary H. Lasch (1914–1994) captured this iconic diptych portrait of Salvador Dalí during a visit to the artist’s residence in Cadaqués in 1958.

Highlight

Lennart Nilsson LIFE cover, 1965

Portrait of an 18-week-old human fetus by Lennart Nilsson. This iconic photo crowned the cover of LIFE Magazine, on April 30, 1965. The issue featured his reportage ‘Drama of Life Before Birth’, which showed the human embryo’s development in the womb.

Highlight

Château de Chambord Henry Fox Talbot, 1843

In 1843, pioneering photographer Henry Fox Talbot captured this image of Le Château de Chambord, one of France’s most iconic architectural marvels. Talbot’s photograph, taken using his innovative calotype process, stands as a testament to his groundbreaking contributions to the art of photography.