Photographic Heritage: Between the Archive and the Museum – A Case of Action and Study, the Madeira Photography Museum – Atelier Vicente’s

Abstract

The specificity of photographic heritage presents challenges to its physical and documentary protection. Unlike many countries, history and heritage protection only began in Portugal in the 70s of the 20^th century. In this context, a vast and concerted reflection has not been elaborated on the duality that assists photographic collections, which is their archival and museological nature, and how these two scopes of preservation, study and dissemination can be reconciled and made effective. The recent museological requalification of the Madeira Photography Museum – Atelier Vicente’s, is a project that reflects on this dual nature of photographic collections, and the collection guidelines can be programmatic guidelines for a national policy for the preservation of photographic heritage, as well as for its valorization in a national and international context.

Keywords

Portugal; Madeira; Photography; Heritage; Museums; Archives; Cultural Policy.