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Peter C. Bunnell Papers
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Peter C. Bunnell is a historian of modern photography and the McAlpin Professor of the History of Photography and Modern Art Emeritus at Princeton University. He was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1937. Bunnell attended the Rochester Institute of Technology for his undergraduate degree. He then went on to receive graduate degrees from Ohio University in 1961 and Yale University in 1965. During his years in school, Bunnell worked at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, at Aperture Magazine with Minor White, and the Alfred Stieglitz Archive at Yale. Bunnell began working at the Museum of Modern Art in 1966 and was appointed Curator of the Department of Photography in 1970.
Bunnell began his professorship at Princeton in 1972 and retired in 2002. While at Princeton, Bunnell took on several roles at the Princeton University Art Museum between 1973 and 2000: Director, Acting Director, and Curator of Photography. Also during this time, Bunnell served on the Board of Directors of the Society for Photographic Education and the Board of Trustees for the Friends of Photography, a nonprofit founded in part by Ansel Adams. He was also involved in other visiting committees, associations, and activities related to photography.
This collection consists of materials relating to Peter C. Bunnell's work as a historian and professor of photography, an author, and an active member of organizations related to photography. The bulk of the collection includes subject files, which cover photographic topics, photographers, students, lectures, photography collections, galleries or museums, and organizations related to photography. The materials in these files include press releases, exhibition announcements, and other exhibition promotional material; typewritten and handwritten notes; correspondence with photographers and colleagues from various institutions; copy prints and negatives; organizational memos, meeting minutes, and agendas; and journal articles and news clippings. A significant part of Bunnell's files throughout his career focused on Minor White, Clarence H. White, Alfred Stieglitz, and Ansel Adams, but many modern photographers are represented. Subject files from his involvement in several institutions over the course of his career include the Museum of Modern Art and the George Eastman House, among others.
The correspondence files span Bunnell's time as a student and throughout his career. Major correspondents include Ruth Bernhard, Jerry Uelsmann, Ansel Adams, Paul Strand, and Van Deren Coke.
The rest of the collection includes file groups dedicated to the Friends of Photography and the Society for Photographic Education, which include memos, meeting minutes, agendas, correspondence, newsletters, policies and procedures, and financial reports; drafts and final versions of publications that Bunnell wrote or edited, including A Photographic Vision: Pictorial Photography, 1889–1923 (1980) and Aperture Magazine Anthology: The Minor White Years, 1952–1976 (2012); and photographs from Bunnell's retirement dinner in 2002.
The materials are arranged into seven file groups, maintaining original order. Materials related to a certain person or organization are often found across several series.
Gift of Peter C. Bunnell in April 2019 (AM 2019-109).
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Alice Griffin in June 2019 with support from Kelly Bolding. Finding aid written by Alice Griffin in June 2019.
No materials were removed from the collection during 2019 processing beyond routine appraisal practices.
People
Organization
- Friends of Photography
- Society for photographic education
- George Eastman House
- Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)
- Princeton University. Art Museum
Subject
Occupation
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Alice Griffin
- Finding Aid Date
- 2019
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is open for research with the exception of files containing student records, which are closed for 75 years from the date of creation. All material in the Subject Files must be reviewed for student records prior to research use.
- Use Restrictions
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The Library owns copyright in this collection of unpublished writings and documents, including text drafts, research notes, interviews, letters written by the Donor, and teaching materials. Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, any copyright vested in the donor has passed to The Trustees of Princeton University and researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of donor-created materials within the collection. For materials in the collection not created by the donor, or where the material is not an original, the copyright is likely not held by the University. In these instances, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
Materials are in original order, which is largely alphabetical. Files towards the end of the grouping do not maintain alphabetical order and were likely kept separately by the creator.
This file group includes materials related to Bunnell's work in organizations such as the George Eastman House, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Princeton University Art Museum (PUAM), among others; his teaching at Princeton and guest lectures; his publications and exchanges with publishers; his research on photographers and photography; his time as a student at Yale University and Ohio University; and his appraisal work. The bulk of the materials are exhibition brochures, press releases, and postcards; newspaper and magazine clippings; and photocopies of journal, newspaper, and magazine articles. Other types of materials include handwritten notes regarding research material or classes; student dissertations; typewritten notes about phone calls, conversations, interviews, or exhibitions attended; correspondence regarding projects, publications, and student advisements; copy prints and negatives of photographs sent to Bunnell for collection consideration; and photographs and negatives of exhibitions.
Notable headings with significant material include Richard Avedon, Ruth Bernhard, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Harry Callahan, Paul Caponigro, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walter Chappell, Carl Chiarenza, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Imogen Cunningham, Thomas Cooper, Judy Dater, Bruce Davidson, Roy DeCarava, Michael de Courcy, Abe Frajndlich, Focus Gallery (San Francisco), Lee Friedlander, Peter Galassi, Laura Gilpin, Emmet Gowin, Robert Heinecken, Eikoh Hosoe, Gertrude Käsebier, Michael Kenna, George Platt Lynes, Pradip Malde, Roger Mayne, David McAlpin Collection, Metroplitan Museum of Art, Barbara Morgan, Beaumont Newhall, Jon O'Neal, John Pfahl, Princeton University Art Museum, Samuel W. Samore, Fazal Sheikh, Naomi Savage, Aaron Siskind, Frederick Sommer, Edward Steichen, Paul Strand, Tomatsu Shomei, Jerry Uelsmann, Max Waldman, Marta Weiss, Lynton Wells, Edward Weston, and Lee Witkin.
Physical Description70 boxes
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Materials related to Bunnell's research on American photographer Alfred Stieglitz, whom Bunnell wrote his Yale dissertation on; however, materials are from throughout Bunnell's career. Materials include correspondence with other researchers, museums, and collectors; dissertations and student papers; and photocopied and original articles by and about Stieglitz. Hand- and typewritten notes and copied archival correspondence seems to have come from archival research on the Stieglitz collections at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Files on contemporaries of Alfred Stieglitz, such as Georgia O'Keefe, can also be found in this file grouping.
The materials are in original, alphabetical order by folder title. Folders are titled with people's names, publication or project titles, organizations, and general categories, such as "Exhibition" or "Article."
Physical Description6 boxes
The materials are in original order. The course and seminar materials are arranged first in chronological order and then by course number; the other related teaching materials do not appear to have a specified order.
This file group contains materials related to Bunnell's teaching, mostly at Princeton University, but also for guest lectures and seminars at other colleges and universities. Materials include syllabi; course rosters and grades; course evaluations; course listings; assignment feedback; and notes for lectures.
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These materials include files on senior and graduate theses; public lecture notes and slide lists; History of Photography program and professorship files; and articles that Bunnell set aside for possible assigned reading.
Physical Description1 box
The materials are in original, largely chronological, order.
This file group includes materials related to Bunnell's involvement with the Friends of Photography. Materials related to his work on the Board of Trustees include meeting agendas; memos; financial reports; handwritten notes; correspondence; reports; and mailers to members. Materials cover development campaigns, such as the Ansel Adams Center Campaign, special committee meetings, annual meetings, membership, and studies on the Friends of Photography's program and workshop offerings. Also included in this series are Friends of Photography Newsletters from 1978 to 2000.
Physical Description6 boxes
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These materials are in original, largely chronological, order. Box 85 is made up of Society for Photographic Education material that Bunnell moved from the Research Files to this series and is not in strict chronological order.
This file group includes materials related to Bunnell's work on the Board of Directors of the Society for Photographic Education, as well as his general membership and involvement. Materials include conference agendas and reports; correspondence; policies and procedures manuals; membership guidelines; and legal and incorporation documents. Other materials include brochures Bunnell picked up at conferences; Exposure magazine from 1968 to 1984; the Society for Photographic Education Newsletter from 1984-1988; membership directories and conference announcements; and other newsletters.
Physical Description5 boxes
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This file group includes correspondence from colleagues, publishers, and friends. Also consult the Subject Files for files on people and organizations included here, which may also include correspondence.
The correspondence is in original order, which is made up of two groupings: Chronological and Alphabetical.
Physical Description11 boxes
This correspondence includes letters and postcards from friends and colleagues. Some correspondents with significant material include Richard Kollath, Gary Cox, Anne Earley, Eric Anderson, Carl Chiarenza, and James Alinder.
This file group of correspondence is arranged chronologically and within each year, correspondents are arranged alphabetically.
Physical Description8 boxes
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This correspondence is arranged alphabetically.
This correspondence includes letters and postcards from people significant to Bunnell's work. Typewritten summaries of phone calls and in-person visits are also included in these files. Notable correspondents include Ansel Adams, Georgia O'Keeffe, Van Deren Coke, Beaumont Newhall, Abe Frajndlich, and Paul Strand. Some of the Ansel Adams correspondence are copies of others' correspondence with Adams.
Physical Description3 boxes
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These materials are in original order.
This file group includes published and unpublished works Bunnell wrote, edited, reviewed, and/or contributed to. Also consult the Subject Files for files on publications included here, which may include drafts and other materials related to these publications.
Physical Description10 boxes
This file group includes publications by or contributed to by Bunnell, such as his dissertations, magazine and journal articles, photography books, and his own works as main author or editor. Many of the publications that Bunnell wrote a biography for, reviewed, or contributed to are inscribed to him by the primary authors or photographers of the work. Notable signers include Ruth Bernhard, Michael Kenna, Jerry Uelsmann, Barbara Morgan, and Max Waldman. Also included is the run of show for Bunnell's appearance on National Educational Television's (NET) Time, Light, and Vision: The Art of Photography program in February 1967.
Physical Description8 boxes
This file group includes drafts and proofs of articles and books that Bunnell wrote, edited, or contributed to. Two anthologies that he edited, A Photographic Vision: Pictorial Photography, 1889-1923 (1980) and Aperture Magazine Anthology: The Minor White Years, 1952–1976 (2012), are included here, as well as text for two exhibition catalogues for Nina Alexander and Clarence H. White ( Clarence H. White: The Reverence for Beauty, 1986).
Physical Description2 boxes
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These materials are in original order.
This file group includes photographs of Bunnell's retirement from Princeton University in 2002.
Physical Description1 box
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