The Bibliography of Perspective was assembled through an extensive international programme of library research, correspondence, catalogue searching, manuscript investigation and institutional collaboration extending over several decades.
By August 1986, the Bibliography was already based on lists supplied by 125 libraries, while books and manuscripts had been consulted directly in 34 libraries. Veltman later recorded that the wider international correspondence and research network had expanded to involve more than 180 libraries.
This international search helped to bring to light more than 8,000 titles of primary literature and approximately 7,000 titles of secondary literature, forming the foundation of what ultimately became a bibliography of approximately 15,000 perspective titles.
The institutions associated with the project did not all play the same role. Some were libraries in which books and manuscripts were examined directly; some supplied bibliographical lists or answered queries; some were searched through catalogues and databases; others preserved manuscripts and rare source material; and a number of universities, institutes and foundations supported the development of the project.
Understanding the Library Counts
Several different figures occur in Veltman’s account and refer to different stages or forms of involvement:
- 125 libraries — by August 1986 the Bibliography was based on lists obtained from this number of libraries.
- 34 libraries — books and manuscripts had been directly consulted in this number of libraries by August 1986.
- More than 180 libraries — Veltman’s later account describes the international correspondence and research network as eventually expanding beyond this number.
The surviving published volumes do not provide a complete recoverable list of all 125 or more than 180 libraries in one place. Veltman states that an earlier Index I.C. listed cooperating libraries and many of the librarians who assisted with texts and queries concerning rare and spurious editions.
The alphabetical appendix at the end of this page therefore lists only those libraries and repositories that can presently be individually identified by name in the surviving published material examined by the Perspective Research Centre.
Principal Libraries and Research Centres
Among the most important centres of direct research were Göttingen, Leiden, London, Madrid, Paris and Wolfenbüttel. Veltman’s later account also identifies Rome among the important centres of research.
Herzog August Bibliothek — Wolfenbüttel, Germany
The Herzog August Bibliothek was one of the principal working bases for the Bibliography. From 1977 to 1984 Veltman worked there on the project with the support of a series of research fellowships.
The library provided access to major collections, specialist literature and interlibrary-loan material and became an important setting for the development of the wider bibliographical methodology.
The scale of this work is indicated by Veltman’s acknowledgement that approximately seven metres of photocopies were ordered through interlibrary loan at Wolfenbüttel.
Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek — Göttingen, Germany
The Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek at Göttingen was another major research centre.
Its staff introduced Veltman to standard reference works, national book catalogues, specialist bibliographies and the approximately 800-volume Real-Katalog, providing routes into literature that was often difficult to discover through conventional subject searching.
Leiden — Netherlands
Leiden is identified by Veltman as one of the particularly important centres in which books and manuscripts were directly consulted during the preparation of the Bibliography. The particular library is not identified in the relevant surviving passage.
London — United Kingdom
London was one of the principal centres of research and played an especially important role in the intellectual development of the project.
Institutions associated with Veltman’s research there included:
- British Museum — North Library
- Warburg Institute
- Institute for Ophthalmology
- Slade School
- Royal Academy
- Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine
Research in the North Library of the British Museum included material on optics, perspective, surveying and cartography and contributed to Veltman’s recognition that perspective remained an open and insufficiently catalogued field.
Madrid — Spain
Madrid is identified as another of the major centres in which books and manuscripts were directly consulted. The specific library is not identified in the relevant passage.
Paris — France
Paris was likewise one of the principal centres for consulting books, manuscripts and related research material. The particular library referred to in the general consultation statement is not specified there, although numerous Parisian repositories appear elsewhere in the research.
Rome — Italy
Veltman’s later account also identifies Rome as an important centre in which relevant books and journals were consulted.
International Library Correspondence
The international scope of the Bibliography expanded dramatically following discussions with the Italian historian of perspective Luigi Vagnetti.
Vagnetti pointed to major geographical gaps in existing perspective bibliography and encouraged Veltman to contact libraries beyond the areas traditionally represented in European scholarship.
Veltman subsequently sent 60 letters to major libraries. Among the places specifically identified were:
- Beijing
- Calcutta
- Canberra
- Moscow
- Rio de Janeiro
Fifty-five replies were received within six months. The lists supplied contained between six and six hundred titles and became the basis for a prolonged process of checking, identification and bibliographical verification.
The international network subsequently grew far beyond this initial correspondence, eventually involving more than 180 libraries.
Libraries and Catalogues Used to Study Classification
The project did not merely search catalogues for titles. Library catalogues themselves became evidence for understanding how the meaning and classification of perspective changed between institutions, countries and periods.
Library of Congress — United States
The Library of Congress was used both as a bibliographical resource and as an example of the multiple ways in which perspective could be classified.
Relevant material could appear under such headings as architectural drawing, drawing technique, descriptive geometry and projection rather than under a single heading of “perspective”.
Stanford — United States
The Stanford catalogue was used to demonstrate how “see also” relationships could connect perspective with drawing and numerous neighbouring fields.
Seattle — United States
The Seattle catalogue provided another example of how apparently simple subject headings could lead to very different networks of associated categories.
Canberra — Australia
Canberra was important both in the international library correspondence and as an example of the limitations of catalogue terminology: a search for “linear perspective” did not necessarily retrieve works concerned with perspective in its artistic or mathematical senses.
Major Modern Library and Union-Catalogue Resources
As large library catalogues became available electronically, the Bibliography increasingly made use of national and international bibliographical resources.
Technische Informations Bibliothek (TIB) — Hanover, Germany
The Technische Informations Bibliothek was used for comparative searches involving “linear perspective” and “perspective” and for examining patterns of publication and modern reprinting.
British Library — United Kingdom
The British Library became an important source for later bibliographical checking. Secondary literature on linear perspective recorded in its catalogue was incorporated into the later Bibliography.
National Library of China — China
Secondary literature on linear perspective recorded by the National Library of China was likewise incorporated into the later research.
Danish National Library — Denmark
The Danish National Library was examined as an example of the changing nature of modern national catalogues, particularly their expansion beyond books to include periodical literature.
The European Library
The European Library (TEL) provided a means of cross-searching the holdings of national libraries and comparing records for terms such as “linear perspective”, “perspective” and “perspectives”.
WorldCat
WorldCat was used as a major international union catalogue for searches by subject, date, medium and edition.
It was also used selectively to investigate different editions of works. Veltman noted, however, that even a resource on this scale did not always provide a complete edition-by-edition record of extensively reprinted publications.
European National Libraries
Records from a number of European national libraries were consulted specifically in connection with linear perspective.
The research compared material from national collections including those of Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Comparable material from China, Japan, Russia and the United States was also examined.
National and Union Catalogues
National Union Catalogue (NUC)
The National Union Catalogue was used to provide holdings information for material published before 1956.
Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN)
The Research Libraries Information Network was used for later publication and holdings information.
Research Libraries Group
The developing bibliographical concept was discussed with representatives of the Research Libraries Group at Wolfenbüttel in 1983. This discussion helped bring the project to the attention of the Getty Trust.
Reference and Indexing Resources
The research also drew on a wide range of specialist reference and indexing tools.
At Göttingen, Veltman was introduced to resources including:
- Art Index
- Répertoire d’Art
- RILA — Répertoire International de la Littérature de l’Art
National book catalogues specifically mentioned in the research include:
- Brinkmans
- Estreicher
- Lorenz
- Pagliaini
The Göttingen Real-Katalog, extending to approximately 800 volumes, provided access to further specialist literature.
Specialist bibliographies explicitly named include:
- Draud
- Lipenius
- Murr
- Murhard
- Riccardi
Veltman also refers to approximately thirty additional specialist bibliographies.
Getty Bibliographical Resources
The Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities in Santa Monica was a major institutional centre for the Bibliography.
During Veltman’s Getty year in 1986–1987, approximately 15,000 titles were transferred into electronic form while titles and locations continued to be verified.
The Getty Trust provided the support which made this period of full-time research possible.
The Getty Art History Information Program also provided important institutional and staff assistance.
Later bibliographical research made selective use of:
- BHA — Bibliography of the History of Art
- RILA
- RAA — Répertoire d’art et d’archéologie
Research and Supporting Institutions
A number of other institutions contributed to the intellectual, institutional or financial environment in which the Bibliography developed.
Warburg Institute — London
The Warburg Institute formed a central part of Veltman’s doctoral research environment and the early development of his approach to the history of perspective.
Institute for Ophthalmology — London
Research connections with the Institute for Ophthalmology, particularly through Robert A. Weale, contributed to the investigation of vision and visual science.
Slade School and Royal Academy — London
B.A.R. Carter, Professor of Perspective at both institutions, was one of the important advisers to the project.
Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine — London
Work with Kenneth D. Keele contributed to Veltman’s investigations and reconstructions of Leonardo da Vinci’s perspectival experiments.
University of Toronto — Canada
The University of Toronto became an important institutional base for the continuing development of the Bibliography and its computer database.
Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology — Toronto
The Institute provided an important academic environment during the later development of the research.
Maastricht McLuhan Institute — Netherlands
Veltman’s later institutional work at the Maastricht McLuhan Institute formed part of the history of the project during the period before the Bibliography entered its long hiatus.
Gesellschaft für Klassifikation — Germany
Veltman joined the Gesellschaft für Klassifikation while seeking solutions to the problems posed by changing terminology and competing classification systems.
His developing approach to the Bibliography was presented to the society in 1984.
Brigham Young University — United States
A series of lectures at Brigham Young University in 1986 helped Veltman clarify the ideas behind what became the multivalent bibliography.
Funding and Institutional Support
The long development of the Bibliography was supported at different stages by organisations including:
- Volkswagen Foundation
- Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
- Thyssen Foundation
- Gerda Henkel Foundation
- Getty Trust
- Canada Council
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
- BSO/Origin
Repositories Represented in the Source Research
The Bibliography and the accompanying Encyclopedia of Perspective identify numerous libraries and collections in which important manuscripts, drawings and rare primary sources survive.
These repositories form part of the project’s source apparatus. Their appearance in the research does not necessarily establish that each institution was physically visited by Veltman.
This distinction is important because manuscript location, catalogue consultation, correspondence and direct physical consultation represent different kinds of bibliographical evidence.
Appendix: Alphabetical List of Identified Libraries and Repositories
The surviving published material examined by the Perspective Research Centre presently allows 25 individual libraries and repositories to be identified explicitly by institutional name.
This is not the complete historical list of the 125 libraries supplying lists, the 34 libraries directly consulted by August 1986, or the later network of more than 180 libraries. It is the portion of that much larger network whose institutional names can presently be recovered explicitly from the published material examined so far.
- Bayerische Staatsbibliothek — Munich, Germany
- Biblioteca Ambrosiana — Milan, Italy
- Biblioteca dei Concordi — Rovigo, Italy
- Biblioteca Laurenziana — Florence, Italy
- Biblioteca Nazionale — Naples, Italy
- Biblioteca Riccardiana — Florence, Italy
- Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal — Paris, France
- Bibliothèque Nationale — Paris, France
- Bibliothèque publique et universitaire — Geneva, Switzerland
- Bibliothèque universitaire — Geneva, Switzerland
- Bodleian Library — Oxford, United Kingdom
- British Library — London, United Kingdom
- British Museum, North Library — London, United Kingdom
- Danish National Library — Denmark
- Herzog August Bibliothek — Wolfenbüttel, Germany
- Library of Congress — Washington, D.C., United States
- National Art Library — South Kensington, London, United Kingdom
- National Library of China — China
- Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek — Göttingen, Germany
- Österreichische Nationalbibliothek — Vienna, Austria
- Pierpont Morgan Library — New York, United States
- Sächsische Landesbibliothek — Dresden, Germany
- Technische Informations Bibliothek (TIB) — Hanover, Germany
- Universitätsbibliothek — Munich, Germany
- Vatican Library — Vatican City / Rome
Additional Named Consultation and Correspondence Centres
A further nine geographical centres are explicitly associated with consultation or international library correspondence, although the particular institution is not identified in the relevant surviving passage:
- Beijing — China
- Calcutta — India
- Canberra — Australia
- Leiden — Netherlands
- Madrid — Spain
- Moscow — Russia
- Paris — France
- Rio de Janeiro — Brazil
- Rome — Italy
Important: these nine centres should not simply be added to the 25 named institutions and described as “34 consulted libraries”. Some concern correspondence rather than direct consultation, some overlap geographically with named repositories, and the surviving evidence does not identify them as the missing names from Veltman’s historical figure of 34 directly consulted libraries.
An International Research Network
The Bibliography of Perspective was therefore never the product of a single library or a single catalogue.
It developed through a combination of:
- direct examination of books and manuscripts;
- international correspondence with libraries;
- interlibrary loan;
- national and international catalogue searching;
- specialist bibliographies and indexes;
- manuscript and repository research;
- electronic bibliographical databases;
- and collaboration with scholars, librarians, universities and research institutions.
The resulting Bibliography reflects an international research network extending across more than 180 libraries over the history of the project, even though the complete historical list of those institutions has not yet been recovered from the surviving published material.