Coins, Bisson Frères, 1861

albumen print, h 200mm × w 165mm More details

Photography soon proved to be an ideal means for documenting objects. Drawings, glassware, archaeological finds, architectural fragments, ancient coins: art history benefitted from the camera. It was one of the domains in which photography, thanks to its greater precision, speed, and convenience, could supersede the older, manual techniques of illustration. Photographs, moreover, served as documentation in case of theft.