Home Museum as Digital Cultural Heritage. The Thiel Gallery
The purpose of this project is to stimulate the development of critical perspectives on the specific possibilities and limitations of the home museum as material and digital heritage. The object is to ensure digital access to the collections and archives at Thielska Galleriet for researchers, museum professionals and a wider audience with a general interest in areas such as Art History, Museology, Curatorial Studies, Economic History, Literature, History and Cultural Studies.
This project will allow for the different types of sources to be brought together digitally in a manner that in specific for the home museum. Thielska Galleriet is one of the first public home museums in Sweden, opened to the audience in 1926, and represents an important and dynamic period in Swedish and European history, with banker and art collector Ernest Thiel, his family and their vast collection of Nordic Symbolist art at the core.
This infrastructure project is places itself at the intersection of museology, art history and the digitized humanities. The collections of art works, decorative art objects and archive materials at Thielska Galleriet offers an interesting case since they constitute an integrated entity which is full of cross-references between letters, photographs, artworks, the building itself and its interiors, which in turn are connected to the surrounding culture, in history and today.
Final report
The purpose and development of the infrastructure
The overall purpose of the project has been to stimulate the development of critical perspectives on the specific characteristics of the Home Museum as material and digital cultural heritage – an historic house with collections which at the same time are traces of the people who once lived on the site. The work has resulted in the implementation of a database and a searchable catalogue on the museum's website where all the items in the Thiel Gallery collections, including arts, crafts and archival documents such as letters, photographs, albums, scrapbooks and more, have been registered. A stable infrastructure has thus been established that makes collections and archives accessible to researchers, art and museum professionals as well as an interested audience and the general public. The digitization of the Thiel Gallery collections has also meant that a collection management system has been introduced, which will strengthen the museum's internal work.
The results of the project
The digitalisation required a new inventory of the Thiel Gallery's collections and archives. New information has been added and existing information has been supplemented and corrected. During the review of the furniture collection a comparison with the inventory made in 1929 was made, and among other things it was made clear which furniture belonged to Ernest Thiel's original household and which was added later. A large number of artworks and decorative arts objects (including furniture) have been photographed for the first time and the collections is now presented digitally in their entirety. 945 artworks, 165 pieces of furniture and decorative arts as well as 5993 archive objects are now registered in the MuseumPlus database. There is a total of 5757 items available online, in coherence with the rules of copyright. The database is up and running and the museum’s internal work with the collections and archives has been facilitated in several areas. The museum staff can work out logistics and access information about the collections more easily, and conservators can access and review condition and conservation reports that are now registered in the database.
During the project, the project members collaborated with the company Zetcom to develop a new online search service, MuseumPlus Online 1.0. The online portal went public on April 29, 2021. The publication is available via the Thiel Gallery website. It contains all objects that, subject to copyright rules, can be published online. All images can be downloaded and most of the archive material can be downloaded in PDF format. One of the project's aims has been to explore the specific characteristics of the home museum, which is highlighted through the numerous cross-references between the entries in the database that show the close connections between archives, artworks and the collection of decorative arts. An interesting example is artist Richard Bergh's painting The Knight and the Virgin (1897) which in the database is linked to several of Bergh's sketchbooks from Visby which contains studies for the painting, but also to oil sketches and letters from the archive related to the work. Another example is the sofa that Ernest Thiel commissioned from artist Gustaf Fjaestad (1907 - 1909), which has been linked to the correspondence between Fjaestad and Thiel and to other furniture from the same series in the collection. In this way, a more complex picture of the background of the furniture can be explored, as a visitor to the online search service can draw their own conclusions by studying the material online. The specific characteristics that can be attributed to the Thiel Gallery as a home museum is thus made visible through the system of cross-references that are published in the website's search function.
Before the release of the online publication, the project members have assisted internal and external researchers by providing access to the already digitized material on demand. This has contributed to the development of research projects, such as the planned publication in English of former Museum Director Ulf Linde's writings and three student essays in Art History on bachelor's and master's level (Uppsala University, Stockholm University and Södertörn University). A doctoral student in the History of Religion (SU) is writing his dissertation on Ellen Key and has taken part in the digitized correspondence between Gerda Bergh, Richard Bergh and Ellen Key. The doctoral student has informed us that the letters have been very important for his work.
The project has also contributed to the dissemination of knowledge about the collections and archives by involving interns from technical art history (SU), art history (SU and UU) and archival science (SH) in the work.
The work with digitization and the associated inventory of the art collection gave the idea for the exhibition Hidden Treasures from the Thiel Gallery Collections, which was shown during the summer of 2020 and which in turn attracted attention to lesser known works from the art collection. The older paintings in the collections, such as a painting attributed to Lucas Cranach the Elder, Portrait of the Duchess Catherine of Saxony, aroused international interest and in May 2021, staff from the National Heritage Board/Riksantikvarieämbetet came to the Thiel Gallery for three days to conduct photographical and technical examinations of this work, as well as another artwork attributed to Cranach, a painting by Tintoretto and an El Greco painting. An expert group with researchers from the National Museum in Stockholm, the Cologne Institute of Technology and the Autonomous University of Madrid is involved to analyze the technical results of the examination. A curator and a researcher from the National Museum were also present during RAÄ's visit.
Unforeseen technical and methodological problems, as well as deviations from the original plan
The online publication of the MuseumPlus database demanded more work than was planned. The web solution that was first presented by the company Zetcom did not meet our expectations and needs, so instead the digitization project at the Thiel Gallery became a partner in a pilot project for a new solution that resulted in a new and improved search function. In close collaboration with Zetcom, the project has worked with problem solving and development to be able to show the museum's collections and archives in a satisfactory way via "Search collections and archives".
During the digitization process, the project has developed other methodologies, for example through the careful inventory of all objects and documents in the archives of Richard Bergh and Ernest Thiel, which was necessary to control the logistics surrounding the scanning of all items with the help of Arkitektkopia. The project participants scanned fragile materials on site, such as sketches and other documents. The development of the online solution entailed more work than expected, as well as the positive unforeseen fact that the archives actually contained more material than had previously been registered.
The integration of work in the organization, and how the infrastructure is to be maintained in the long term
Tailor-made manuals for the use of the database and the online publication have been created by the project members so that the Thiel Gallery staff can develop and maintain the structure that has been established. The project members have provided training on the functions of the database so that it can be used to its full potential in the future. Since its implementation, the MuseumPlus database has already proven to be very useful for both the museum's permanent staff and museum hosts. For example, museum visitors can get answers to specific questions about artists or works of art from the staff who have access to detailed information through the database. There is a potential to develop the use of the database in the areas of lending, insurance values and other recurrent issues, such as conservators accessing the archive of condition reports. Descriptions of individual artworks and biographical information about artists and other authors can be added over time. The online portal will need to be maintained properly and the permanent staff have received key contact information.
Infrastructure accessibility and Open Access
The online publication on the museum’s website is Open Access. In connection with an exhibition on Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, The power and feeling of the sculpture (summer 2019), the correspondence between the artist Gustav Vigeland and Ernest Thiel was published on the Digital Archive platform. In connection with an exhibition about Edvard Munch’s photography (spring 2020), the correspondence between Munch and Thiel was uploaded on the same platform. The letters are held in the Thiel Gallery's archive.
Digital Archive: https://archive.org/details/the-thiel-gallery-archives
High-resolution images of artworks marked "Public Domain" have been provided through uploaded TIF files to the Wikimedia Commons platform. This publication has already increased the interest in Thiel Gallery's collections significantly at the same time as expanding the Open Access to the museum objects.
Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Media_contributed_by_Thielska_Galleriet_Stockholm_2020
International collaborations
At the start of the project, contact was made with staff at the Louvre in Paris who also use MuseumPlus for parts of their collection management and project manager Charlotta Nordström had the opportunity to visit the museum and see how the museum works with the system.
The Munch Museum in Oslo has shown interest in a future collaboration as they have recently digitized Munch's graphic work.
Links to own web pages
Thielska Gallery's website:
https://www.thielskagalleriet.se/en/
Search collections and archives:
https://thielska.zetcom.net/en/
The overall purpose of the project has been to stimulate the development of critical perspectives on the specific characteristics of the Home Museum as material and digital cultural heritage – an historic house with collections which at the same time are traces of the people who once lived on the site. The work has resulted in the implementation of a database and a searchable catalogue on the museum's website where all the items in the Thiel Gallery collections, including arts, crafts and archival documents such as letters, photographs, albums, scrapbooks and more, have been registered. A stable infrastructure has thus been established that makes collections and archives accessible to researchers, art and museum professionals as well as an interested audience and the general public. The digitization of the Thiel Gallery collections has also meant that a collection management system has been introduced, which will strengthen the museum's internal work.
The results of the project
The digitalisation required a new inventory of the Thiel Gallery's collections and archives. New information has been added and existing information has been supplemented and corrected. During the review of the furniture collection a comparison with the inventory made in 1929 was made, and among other things it was made clear which furniture belonged to Ernest Thiel's original household and which was added later. A large number of artworks and decorative arts objects (including furniture) have been photographed for the first time and the collections is now presented digitally in their entirety. 945 artworks, 165 pieces of furniture and decorative arts as well as 5993 archive objects are now registered in the MuseumPlus database. There is a total of 5757 items available online, in coherence with the rules of copyright. The database is up and running and the museum’s internal work with the collections and archives has been facilitated in several areas. The museum staff can work out logistics and access information about the collections more easily, and conservators can access and review condition and conservation reports that are now registered in the database.
During the project, the project members collaborated with the company Zetcom to develop a new online search service, MuseumPlus Online 1.0. The online portal went public on April 29, 2021. The publication is available via the Thiel Gallery website. It contains all objects that, subject to copyright rules, can be published online. All images can be downloaded and most of the archive material can be downloaded in PDF format. One of the project's aims has been to explore the specific characteristics of the home museum, which is highlighted through the numerous cross-references between the entries in the database that show the close connections between archives, artworks and the collection of decorative arts. An interesting example is artist Richard Bergh's painting The Knight and the Virgin (1897) which in the database is linked to several of Bergh's sketchbooks from Visby which contains studies for the painting, but also to oil sketches and letters from the archive related to the work. Another example is the sofa that Ernest Thiel commissioned from artist Gustaf Fjaestad (1907 - 1909), which has been linked to the correspondence between Fjaestad and Thiel and to other furniture from the same series in the collection. In this way, a more complex picture of the background of the furniture can be explored, as a visitor to the online search service can draw their own conclusions by studying the material online. The specific characteristics that can be attributed to the Thiel Gallery as a home museum is thus made visible through the system of cross-references that are published in the website's search function.
Before the release of the online publication, the project members have assisted internal and external researchers by providing access to the already digitized material on demand. This has contributed to the development of research projects, such as the planned publication in English of former Museum Director Ulf Linde's writings and three student essays in Art History on bachelor's and master's level (Uppsala University, Stockholm University and Södertörn University). A doctoral student in the History of Religion (SU) is writing his dissertation on Ellen Key and has taken part in the digitized correspondence between Gerda Bergh, Richard Bergh and Ellen Key. The doctoral student has informed us that the letters have been very important for his work.
The project has also contributed to the dissemination of knowledge about the collections and archives by involving interns from technical art history (SU), art history (SU and UU) and archival science (SH) in the work.
The work with digitization and the associated inventory of the art collection gave the idea for the exhibition Hidden Treasures from the Thiel Gallery Collections, which was shown during the summer of 2020 and which in turn attracted attention to lesser known works from the art collection. The older paintings in the collections, such as a painting attributed to Lucas Cranach the Elder, Portrait of the Duchess Catherine of Saxony, aroused international interest and in May 2021, staff from the National Heritage Board/Riksantikvarieämbetet came to the Thiel Gallery for three days to conduct photographical and technical examinations of this work, as well as another artwork attributed to Cranach, a painting by Tintoretto and an El Greco painting. An expert group with researchers from the National Museum in Stockholm, the Cologne Institute of Technology and the Autonomous University of Madrid is involved to analyze the technical results of the examination. A curator and a researcher from the National Museum were also present during RAÄ's visit.
Unforeseen technical and methodological problems, as well as deviations from the original plan
The online publication of the MuseumPlus database demanded more work than was planned. The web solution that was first presented by the company Zetcom did not meet our expectations and needs, so instead the digitization project at the Thiel Gallery became a partner in a pilot project for a new solution that resulted in a new and improved search function. In close collaboration with Zetcom, the project has worked with problem solving and development to be able to show the museum's collections and archives in a satisfactory way via "Search collections and archives".
During the digitization process, the project has developed other methodologies, for example through the careful inventory of all objects and documents in the archives of Richard Bergh and Ernest Thiel, which was necessary to control the logistics surrounding the scanning of all items with the help of Arkitektkopia. The project participants scanned fragile materials on site, such as sketches and other documents. The development of the online solution entailed more work than expected, as well as the positive unforeseen fact that the archives actually contained more material than had previously been registered.
The integration of work in the organization, and how the infrastructure is to be maintained in the long term
Tailor-made manuals for the use of the database and the online publication have been created by the project members so that the Thiel Gallery staff can develop and maintain the structure that has been established. The project members have provided training on the functions of the database so that it can be used to its full potential in the future. Since its implementation, the MuseumPlus database has already proven to be very useful for both the museum's permanent staff and museum hosts. For example, museum visitors can get answers to specific questions about artists or works of art from the staff who have access to detailed information through the database. There is a potential to develop the use of the database in the areas of lending, insurance values and other recurrent issues, such as conservators accessing the archive of condition reports. Descriptions of individual artworks and biographical information about artists and other authors can be added over time. The online portal will need to be maintained properly and the permanent staff have received key contact information.
Infrastructure accessibility and Open Access
The online publication on the museum’s website is Open Access. In connection with an exhibition on Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, The power and feeling of the sculpture (summer 2019), the correspondence between the artist Gustav Vigeland and Ernest Thiel was published on the Digital Archive platform. In connection with an exhibition about Edvard Munch’s photography (spring 2020), the correspondence between Munch and Thiel was uploaded on the same platform. The letters are held in the Thiel Gallery's archive.
Digital Archive: https://archive.org/details/the-thiel-gallery-archives
High-resolution images of artworks marked "Public Domain" have been provided through uploaded TIF files to the Wikimedia Commons platform. This publication has already increased the interest in Thiel Gallery's collections significantly at the same time as expanding the Open Access to the museum objects.
Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Media_contributed_by_Thielska_Galleriet_Stockholm_2020
International collaborations
At the start of the project, contact was made with staff at the Louvre in Paris who also use MuseumPlus for parts of their collection management and project manager Charlotta Nordström had the opportunity to visit the museum and see how the museum works with the system.
The Munch Museum in Oslo has shown interest in a future collaboration as they have recently digitized Munch's graphic work.
Links to own web pages
Thielska Gallery's website:
https://www.thielskagalleriet.se/en/
Search collections and archives:
https://thielska.zetcom.net/en/