Finding Oceania : organizing a collection of Oceanic photographs and albums at the Art Gallery of Ontario

The Oceanic Collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is comprised of photographic objects that reflect the social history of the Oceanic nations during the period after European settlement up to the mid-20th century. The anthropologist C.P. Mountford is the greatest single contributor in the collection. Other makers include Reverend Hamilton Aikin, press photographer Sam Hood and studio photographers Henry King, John William Lindt and Thomas Andrew. This thesis is an applied project, done to re-house, catalogue and gain intellectual control over the collection. Part I outlines the re-housing and cataloguing process, as well as the considerations and decision making behind the organization of the finding aid. Part II is the finding aid, containing eight sections that address the historical and social context in which the collection material was made. Three appendices include biographical information, complete catalogue records and a summary of Oceanic art and artifacts at the AGO.