Idea Entry - Provenance

Provenance – The history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature.

(Merriam-Webster Dictionary) origin 1860-65.

This tern can also be related to birthplace, cradle, and place of origin.  I have found myself very interested in the idea of where I came from and exactly how events happened, besides just my memory.  I relate it to tracking down the origin of an "original" painting or other work of art, and possibly finding out in the end that it was not even close to what you thought it was, yet putting in the research allows for validity. I find it interesting that the origin of this term is from the 1860's, as that is around the date of the earliest photographs and documents that I have acquired from my family.  The idea of tracking down the past is somewhat intimidating to me, as I mentioned on the Senior Crit blog that I unknowingly lived amongst a lie for years without knowing, even though it was right in front of my face.  A little bit of research and open-mindedness can go a long way. I find it interesting that Henson states that, "significance of archival materials is heavily dependent on the context of their creation...should be directly related to their original purpose and function." What if the creation was made to cover something else up? I suppose that even if that is so, it is still directly related to their original purpose, I just need to find out what that purpose is.

QUOTES

“The principle of provenance, as applied to appraisal, leads us to evaluate records on the basis of the importance of the creator's mandate and functions, and fosters the use of a hierarchical method, a 'top-down' approach, which has proved to be unsatisfactory because it excludes the 'powerless transactions,' which might throw light on the broader social context, from the permanent record of society.”

Duranti, Luciana, Diplomatics: New Uses for an Old Science. Society of American Archivists and Association of Canadian Archivists in association with Scarecrow Press, 1998. pg. 177

“APPM recognizes the primacy of provenance in archival description. This principle holds that that significance of archival materials is heavily dependent on the context of their creation, and that the arrangement and description of these materials should be directly related to their original purpose and function.”

Henson, Steven L. "The First Shall Be First: APPM and Its Impacts on American Archival Description.," Archivaria 35 (Spring 1993), p. 64–70.

ARTICLES

 Anne J. Gilliland-Swetland writes about the importance and changes in archival processes.  She brings up the idea of provenance, respect des fonds, and original order beginning on page 12.

Gilliland-Swetland, Anne J. "Enduring Paradigm, New Opportunities: The Value of the Archival Perspective in the Digital Environment." CLIR, February 2000. Pg 12. <http://www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub89abst.html>

Jason Debord goes into a more detailed description of what exactly should be looked for when trying to claim authenticity. 

Debord, Jason. "Instruments of Authenticity & The Chain of Provenance." The Original Prop Blog. The Original Hobby Magazine, 29 June 2007. Web. 9 Sept. 2010. <http://www.originalprop.com/blog/2007/06/29/instruments-of-provenance-the-chain-of-provenance/>

The following images are taken from Jason Debord's article "Instruments of Authenticity & The Chain of Provenance," listed above.  Examples of the process of researching provenance are given from different points, the studio reseller and the professional or private dealer.