Paul Laib photographed works of all the major artists working in Britain between 1900 and 1945. The collection is largely unpublished and shows prominent artists at work and pieces often prior to completion.
Overview
Primary visual content: Photographic reproductions of paintings (mostly portraits), usually taken in the artist’s studio.
Primary medium: Photographic glass plate negatives.
Origin: The work of photographer Paul Laib, given to The Courtauld by Patrick de Laszlo.
Size of collection: 20,502 negatives in 1,036 boxes.
History
A collection of glass-plate negatives made by Paul Laib (1869-1958) after works by artists of the period.
During the early decades of the 20th century, the photographer Paul Laib made photographic records of paintings, drawings and sculptures for his artist clients. The majority of the photographs were taken whilst work was in the artists’ possession, whereas a smaller number are studio shots showing artists at work or posed for a portrait. In addition, Laib was commissioned to photograph private art collections or works from all periods.
Biographical details of Laib are sparse. He was a naturalised British subject, born in Hamburg. He was 31 years old when the census was taken in March 1901, living at 3 Thistle Grove, South Kensington, and working from home as a photographer.
Laib photographed works of all the major artists working in Britain between 1900 and 1945, such as the society portraitists De Laszlo, Sargent and Birley, and young contemporaries such as Piper, Hepworth and Nicholson. The collection is significant in that it remains largely unpublished.
On Laib’s death the negatives may have been destroyed had it not been for Patrick de Laszlo, son of the portrait painter, one of Laib’s most eminent patrons. All negatives were purchased from Laib’s son by the Philip Trust and stored at the De Laszlo home, Wonham Manor, Dorking. Negotiations for the collection to come to The Courtauld began during the directorship of Professor Lasko, and it was agreed by the Management Board to accept the gift of negatives, records and shelving. They arrived in the Witt Library in 1974 and, at the request of the Philip Trust, became known as the De Laszlo Collection. The collection was stored at The Courtauld’s premises in number 19 Portman Square. Boxes were organised according to Laib’s numbering system and attempts were made to cross-reference both the box numbers and the Laib’s ledger books with a card index.
The collection was moved to Somerset House in 1989, and housed initially in the British School of the Witt on purpose-built shelves around a large table that functioned as a light box, but concerns about temperature and humidity caused the Laib collection to be moved to a store room adjacent to the British and French schools on the lower ground floor of the photographic library.
Collection structure
Laib’s glass plate negatives range from 5x4 in to 14x12 in. Three handwritten ledgers record the names of the clients requesting photography (usually an artist, but occasionally a collector or gallery), titles of the works, and negative numbers which - either directly or via a card file - can be cross-referenced with the plates.
Digital initiatives
In 2017 The Courtauld began digitising its Witt and Conway photographic collections. Through using two entirely different methods, one outsourced to a commercial contractor, the other in-house engaging volunteers, we have been able to gain a clear understanding of the economic, practical and social benefits of both approaches as well as making excellent progress. Both projects are led by Tom Bilson, Head of the Digital Media Department.
Using the digitisation of the Conway as a starting point, we developed a different in-house workflow to accession and digitise the Laib collection, and we hope to start working on it soon.