Picture Collection [schuyler swenson]

In a far back corner of the New York Public Library is the Picture Collection, an archive of over a million original prints, photographs, postcards and illustrations from magazines, books, and newspapers. What I love about the collection is that the images aren't organized by photographer, or title or date even. The archive exists in folders sorted by subject. For example: parades, extinct fauna, sorrow, clouds, Turkish cuisine. Often used by visual artists and designers, the pictures range in date and style--they aren't meant to be a complete visual history, but rather an imperfect, random source for creative inspiration. So while considering ritual and seeking ideas for New Korean Rituals traditions, I stopped by to peruse the "Korea" section.

Here are some of my findings and an experiment in documenting my process: