The photographic negative as a historical object : an analysis of the Henryk Ross Łódź ghetto collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario

The Photographic Negative as a Historical Object: An Analysis of the Henryk Ross Łódź Ghetto Collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario examines the photographic negative, with specific attention to the negative as a historical document. Through an analysis of Jewish photographer Henryk Ross‟ photographic archive, this discussion considers the negative as a historical object by addressing the production, use, dissemination and preservation of the negative using select samples from the 3,000 35mm gelatin silver negatives in the collection, along with Ross‟ 1960s publication Darkam ha-a¸Æaronah shel Yehude Lodz' (The Last Journey of the Jews of Łódź), and Martin Parr and Timothy Prus‟ 2004 Łódź Ghetto Album. By acknowledging the use value of the negative, this thesis focuses on the unique qualities of the photographic negative as a research tool, bringing forth new components to the history of this rare collection.