A place to look closer at historical photographs

The Cabinet Card Archive accompanies Olivia Maday’s installation, The Darkroom. My contribution is the digital experience and development through Hatrack Digital, the archive’s development partner. The art project and collection provide the context for the site.

Giving the collection room

The interface centers on browsing photographs and opening individual records for a closer look. The implementation includes front and reverse scans, search and filtering, image zoom, and bookmarks. For an image-heavy collection, the content structure and the way images load are as much a part of the experience as the gallery layout.

Leaving room for what isn’t known

Many details about the photographs remain undocumented. The archive distinguishes catalog information from community contributions, which are labeled as unverified. That distinction keeps a visitor’s possible lead from becoming an asserted historical fact.

The project brings together interface design, collection structure, and technical implementation. It also calls for restraint: the photographs should be the things people spend time with.