Glossary: Provenance
Provenance
the origin or source of something
information regarding the origins, custody, and ownership of an item or collection
Provenance is related to representation and justice within archives because the lineage of an item is of utmost importance in collections. Also, some collections privilege items with specific provenance as of higher value, such at items which were once owned by someone of historical significance to the collection. Considering many collections devoted to underrepresented communities contain materials which have been held in less traditional provenance contexts—such as oral traditions or lack tangible “proof” like birth records etc. this can create barriers to items being collected or properly contextualized, as well as issues with one’s right to remove oneself or ancestors from a collection.
More information regarding the tensions of provenance and its effects can be found in the following links.
CONTENT WARNING: images of enslaved people used for Eugenics purposes and continuing trauma related to the right to remove one’s ancestors from an image archive collection.
Descendant of Enslaved People Sues Harvard for Rights to Daguerreotypes of Her Ancestors - “identifies the images as “spoils of theft,” as the images were captured without consent and with deeply troubling intentions"
Harvard threatened to sue Carrie Mae Weems for her groundbreaking series From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried
Art 21 segment on Weems detailing the work
Notes:
Provenance - is a fundamental principle of archives, referring to the individual, family, or organization that created or received the items in a collection.
The principle of provenance or the respect des fonds dictates that records of different origins (provenance) be kept separate to preserve their context.
(source: https://dictionary.archivists.org/entry/provenance)
related to:
custody: care and control, especially for security and preservation.
chain of custody: the succession of offices or persons who have held materials from the moment they were created
(in Law) - the succession of individuals who have held evidence from the moment it is obtained until presented in court
(source: https://www2.archivists.org/glossary/terms/c/custody )
Related Terms:
Related Features:
Richland Library’s Artist in Residence Program aims to connect the community with local working artists and to provide creative and educational opportunities to the community in a way that supports cultural and artistic exchange.