The Second Getty Foundation Funded Project (2007-2009)

In August 2009 a 2-year cataloguing project, generously funded by The Getty Foundation, was completed. Three series from the J. B. Ward-Perkins photographic collection (1945-1974) have been catalogued onto the URBS database and the bibliographical records linked to zoomable images will be accessible not only on www.reteurbs.org but also on a new website.

J.B. Ward-Perkins (1912-1981)

Archaeological sites in Libya

These include important photographs taken by Ward-Perkins of his excavations at Leptis Magna, Sabratha and Cyrenaica as well as prints taken by friends, colleagues and Libyan Institutions (no negatives).

War damage in Italy

These photographs relate to damage to Italian monuments during World War II. Ward-Perkins, Lt.-Colonel in the British army stationed in Italy during the Allied advance, was put in charge of the Sub-Commission of the Allied Government for Monuments and Fine Arts to document damage to Italian monuments caused by bombing throughout Italy. He secured a copy of these photographs and negatives for the BSR Archive.

South Etruria Survey

The South Etruria Survey was the ground-breaking project carried out by Ward-Perkins in the 1950s and 60s; the first archaeological survey ever done on Italian soil. It followed in the tradition of former BSR Director, Thomas Ashby, who published a pioneering study in the 1920s on the topography and archaeology of the Roman Campagna.

This group of photographs relates to the archaeology, topography, architecture and landscape of the South Etruria area and documentation of the excavations carried out in the Ager Veientanus. It includes Ward-Perkins’ own photographs as well as prints taken by friends and colleagues (no negatives)

More information about this project are provided on the BSR Library and Archive digital collections website, available from the 1st November 2009.

The First Getty Foundation Funded Project (2002-2005)

In October 2002 a 3 year project, generously funded by The Getty Foundation, began. Three photographic collections from the Archive have been catalogued onto the URBS data-base and the bibliographical records and images are now accessible on www.reteurbs.org.

Includes c. 1200 photographs mostly taken between 1890 and 1913 by the sisters Agnes (?-1940) and Dora Bulwer (1864-1948) during their trips to the Campagna Romana, Rome and other places in Italy, Greece and Great Britain. Subjects include a rchaeological sites, landscapes and aspects of rural daily life.

Includes c. 2000 photographs taken by the Dominican Father Peter Paul Mackey (1851-1935), between 1890 and 1910 in Italy and Greece. Subjects include a ncient and medieval monuments from all over Italy and the city walls of ancient Italian sites. The collection includes rare photographs of Sardinia, Sicily, Rome and the surrounding area.

Includes over 9000 photographs mostly taken between 1890 and 1925 by Thomas Ashby (1874-1931), Director BSR (1906-1925), and glued into 19 albums, others have been purchased by Ashby or presented to him by friends and scholars. Subjects include archaeology, topography, ancient monuments, local festivals and landscapes in Italy. Archaeological sites and his own excavations in North Africa, Greece, Malta, Wales. Annual trips to England.

The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation for the restoration of the Thomas Ashby albums

The conservation and restoration laboratory Fotocarta Restauri in San Casciano de’ Bagni, near Siena, has been chosen to restore the Ashby albums. They have been working on the albums since March 2004 and have already finished restoring 5 albums.

We decided to invest this grant in the restoration of the Ashby albums to complete the project begun with the Getty Foundation funding so that we will have all the Ashby collection well preserved as well as catalogued and available on the internet.