Digitization of the Architectural Drawings Collection

Nationalmuseum in Stockholm is the home of a world-famous collection of drawings for architecture, gardens, applied arts and ephemeral decorations. It traces its roots back to the first Superintendents (Överintendenter) of Royal building works and consists of around 15 000 sheets. Young architects in the Superintendent’s office acquired numerous drawings while travelling and studying on the continent, in particular in France and Italy. Their purchases have made the collection an important part of European heritage, often quoted in international scholarship. The collection of architectural drawings, which includes works from the 15th to the early 19th century, consists of four historic collections: the Tessin Hårleman Collection, the Cronstedt Collection, the Celsing Collection and the Eichhorn Collection, the two former ones being largest and most important.

The object of the project is to photograph the entire collection digitally, write basic catalogue entries and make the images available for study through the museum database. Further, in a limited number of problematic cases, the project will provide solutions for inadequate storage.
The project staff: Dr Helen Evans, paper conservator; Cecilia Heisser, photographer; Ola Svenle, architect; and Dr Martin Olin, project coordinator and research curator at the Research Department of the Nationalmuseum. The project started in the autumn of 2009 and is planned to continue until the end of 2011. It is hoped that it will be possible to access the drawings through the museum database during 2012.