Making Connoisseurship “Something Like an Exact Science”:

Abstract

Since its invention, photography has revolutionized the documentation of art. The author investigates how technological advancements of photography between 1880 and 1930 transformed Bernard Berenson’s methodology in connoisseurship and art historical research in general. The paper analyzes Berenson’s writings and examines the origin and development of different sections of the photograph archive that the American art historian created. Key findings include the organization of photography campaigns, the partnership with other art historians and photographers, and the acquisition of black-and-white photographic prints made with newly developed techniques before the advent of color photography. [This article expands on a paper presented at the Technological Revolutions and Art History Symposium held online in November 2020.]