Cataloging Cultural Objects and Descriptive Titles for Photographs Assignment

Example of title that is (mostly) CCO compliant

Credit: Diana Davies Photographs, courtesy New York Public Library.

The title of this photograph is “Rita Mae Brown seated next to unidentified woman before the Lavender Menace Action, 1970 May.”_[1]

The reason I say it is “mostly compliant,” is because the title does not conform to a couple CCO rules.

First, there is no Title Type indicated, as CCO recommends in section 1.1.1. _[2]

Second, it does not adhere to the CCO capitalization guidelines in section 1.2.2.1, which stipulate that in constructed titles, “all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and subordinate conjunctions,” should be capitalized._[3] That said, I looked at catalog records across many archival institutions and the practice of only capitalizing the first word and subsequent proper names and nouns seemed standard, including within the collection that contains this photograph. At the very least, the consistent capitalization structure complies with Principle 9 of the CCO General Guidelines, which call for consistency “regarding capitalization, punctuation, and syntax.”_[4]

Those elements aside, the photo title is CCO compliant in other important ways. It is “concise and specific” in its description of who is in the photo, the event that brought them together, and when the photo was taken. 1.1.1. Noting the Lavender Menace Action in the title also gives important context for the t-shirts Brown and the unidentified woman are wearing._[5]

By specifically describing Rita Mae Brown, a well-known author and lesbian activist, and the Lavender Menace, a pivotal conflict within the Women’s Movement, and “the unidentified woman,” the title complies with section 1.2.2.2.3, which requires that descriptive titles include named historical subjects or themes, proper names if known, and anonymous figures._[6] The title was likely derived from the inscription on the verso_[7] that notes the people and the event where the photograph was taken, in accordance with section 1.1.2.1.2, which recommends assigning titles by consulting authoritative sources, including from “an inscription on the work.”_[8] The date provides additional context for the viewer and is an appropriate repetition of information recorded elsewhere in the record, as sanctioned in section 1.1.1._[9]

Additionally, the title also uses the Library of Congress’s authorized name for Rita Mae Brown, as specified in section 1.1.2.1.2, which says titles should be recorded using authoritative sources._[10]

Example of title that is not CCO compliant

"Found Image," undated, courtesy Lesbian Herstory Archives, obtained from nyheritage.org

The title of this photograph is “Found Image.”_[11]

This is a poorly constructed title because it gives absolutely no description of who or what is depicted in the photo as required by CCO, instructs cataloger’s to construct titles when necessary and allows titles to derive from “subject content or iconography.”_[12] Obviously, as a found image, the cataloger had little or no information about the creator, subjects, or context of the photo. Nonetheless, there should have been some effort made to describe its content. In this instance the title “Found Image” functions in the same way calling it “Untitled Image,” would. Section 1.2.2.2.5 stipulates that unless it is deliberate on the part of the creator, catalogers should not use the term untitled._[13]

New Descriptive Title: Daguerreotype Portrait of Three Androgynous People, Possibly Women, Two of Whom Wear Male Attire |Title Type: descriptive, constructed

Explanation

First, I described the photo format (Daguerreotype Portrait), as allowed by section 1.2.2.2.2: “Constructed titles my refer to the subject, the materials, the form, or the function of the work.”_[14] I think this is important because of the historical nature of the process and because daguerreotypes are rare.

I described the three subjects of the image as androgynous because without any identifying information or other context it is difficult to say definitively whether they are male or female (to better appreciate their androgyny, it helps to enlarge the image). This is in keeping with section 1.2.2.2.5, which recommends “using any generic information available” to construct a title when a work’s purpose is unknown._[15] For this same reason, I specifically noted that two of the people are wearing “male attire”—because I don’t know if these are women dressed as men or simply young men wearing their everyday clothes.

I noted that they are “possibly women,” based on my own examination of the photo and because of the context in which I viewed it: as part of the Lesbian Herstory Archive. I assume the image was collected by the repository either because of the androgyny or because they believe outright the people depicted are women. Either way, it was important to me to make clear the possibility that women dressed as men posed for a portrait 100-plus years ago because that would surely be of interest to researchers studying LGBT history, gender roles, etc. Section 1.2.2.2.4 allows that “constructed titles may express uncertainty, if necessary.”_[16] With no available information about the creation of this Daguerreotype, I think the uncertainty is warranted in this case.

Last, I followed the punctuation guidelines laid out in section 1.2.2.1_[17] by capitalizing “all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and subordinate conjunctions.” I also included a Title Type, as recommended in section 1.1.1._[18]

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_[1]Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library. (1970). Rita Mae Brown seated next to unidentified woman before the Lavender Menace Action, 1970 May. Retrieved from http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e3-5f98-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

_[2]Visual Resources Association., Murtha Baca, and ebrary Academic Complete. Cataloging Cultural Objects: A Guide to Describing Cultural Works and Their Images. Chicago: American Library Association, 2006. P. 50.

 _[3]Visual Resources Association., Murtha Baca, and ebrary Academic Complete. Cataloging Cultural Objects: A Guide to Describing Cultural Works and Their Images. Chicago: American Library Association, 2006. P. 58-59.

_[4]Ibid. P.3.

_[5] Ibid. P. 63.

_[6]Ibid. P.50.

_[7]Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library. (1970). Rita Mae Brown seated next to unidentified woman before the Lavender Menace Action, 1970 May. Retrieved from http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e3-5f98-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

_[8]Visual Resources Association., Murtha Baca, and ebrary Academic Complete. Cataloging Cultural Objects: A Guide to Describing Cultural Works and Their Images. Chicago: American Library Association, 2006. P. 52.

_[9]Ibid. P. 49.

_[10]Ibid. P. 52.

_[11]Lesbian Herstory Archives, New York Heritage Digital Collections. (Undated). Found Image. Retrieved from http://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p274401coll1/id/257

_[12] Visual Resources Association., Murtha Baca, and ebrary Academic Complete. Cataloging Cultural Objects: A Guide to Describing Cultural Works and Their Images. Chicago: American Library Association, 2006. P. 49.

_[13]Ibid. P. 66.

_[14]Ibid. P. 60.

_[15]Ibid. P. 66.

_[16]Ibid. P. 65.

_[17]Ibid. P. 58.

[18] Ibid. P.50