Element Definitions for Cataloging Historical Fashion Collection, based on VRA Core
Element Definitions
for Cataloging Historical Fashion Collections
at Kent State University, Version 2.0,based on the VRA Core Categories Version 3.0
Note: 1. This document is to be used with the template that is developed for cataloging historical fashion objects at Kent State University. 2. Text in regular fontface is from the original VRA Core document. Text in italic AND boldface is modified or added by the researcher at Kent State University.
What is a
Work?
In the context of the VRA Core
3.0, a work is a physical entity that exists, has existed
at some time in the past, or that could exist in the future. It
might be an artistic creation such as a painting or a sculpture; it
might be a performance, composition, or literary work; it might be a
building or other construction in the built environment; or it might
be an object of material culture. Works may be single items,
or they may consist of many parts.
What is an
Image?
An image is a visual
representation of a work. It can exist in
photomechanical, photographic and digital formats. In a typical
visual resources collection, an image is a reproduction of the
work that is owned by the cataloging institution and is
typically a slide, photograph, or digital file. A visual
resources collection may own several images of a given
work.
W1.1 RECORD
TYPE
Qualifiers:
None
Definition:
Identifies the record as being either a WORK record, for the physical
or created object, or an IMAGE record, for the visual surrogates of
such objects.
Data Values (controlled):
work, image
VRA Core 2.0: None
CDWA: None
Dublin Core:
TYPE
W1.2 TYPE
Qualifiers:
None
Definition: Identifies the
specific type of Work or Image being described in the
record.
Data Values (controlled):
recommend AAT
VRA Core 2.0: W1 Work Type;
V1 Visual Document Type
CDWA: Object/Work - Type; Related
Visual Documentation-Image Type
Dublin Core:
TYPE
W2. TITLE
Qualifiers:
Title.Variant
Title.Translation
Title.Series
Title.Larger Entity
Definition: The
title or identifying phrase given to a Work or an Image. For complex
works or series the title may refer to a discrete unit within the
larger entity (a print from a series, a panel from a fresco cycle, a
building within a temple complex) or may identify only the larger
entity itself. For an Image record this category describes the
specific view of the depicted Work.
Data Values: formulated according
to data content rules for titles of works of art
VRA Core 2.0: W2 Title; V7
Visual Document View Description
CDWA: Titles or Names-Text;
Related Visual Documentation-View; Related Visual Documentation-View-
Indexing Terms
Dublin Core:
TITLE
W3. MEASUREMENTS
Qualifiers:
Measurements.Dimensions
Measurements.Format
Measurements.Resolution
Description:
The size, shape, scale, dimensions, format, or storage configuration
of the Work or Image. Dimensions may include such measurements as
volume, weight, area or running time. The unit used in the
measurement must be specified.
Data Values: formulated according
to standards for data content (e.g., AACR, etc.)
VRA Core 2.0: W3
Measurements; V2 Visual Document Format; V3 Visual Document
Measurements
CDWA: Measurements-Dimensions;
Measurements-Shape; Measurements-Format; Related Visual
Documentation-Image Measurements
Dublin Core:
FORMAT
A 1. QUANTITY
- Answers the Question: How many pieces is the work composed of?
- Type: Non-Repeatable
- Definition: The number of substances of which a work is composed, (e.g., a female's costume may include a bodice, a skirt, and a belt; a male's costume may include a frock coat, a waistcoat, and breeches.)
- Guidelines: The degree of detail with which an object is
described is determined by the cataloger. One record should be created for the work, no additional records are required for the substances of which a work is composed. Accessories should not be counted as the substances of a work unless it is designed or made as parts of the work being described. Usually separated cataloging records should be prepared for accessories. Indications of accessories of a work in W 17 and W 18 fields are desired.
- Mapping:
- MARC: 300a
- Dublin Core: --
W4. MATERIAL
Qualifiers:
Material.Medium
Material.Support
Description: .The
substance of which a work or an image is composed.
Data Values (controlled):
AAT
VRA Core 2.0: W4
Material
CDWA: Materials and
Techniques-Materials-Name,Materials and
Techniques-Materials-Role
Dublin Core:
FORMAT
W 4. 1. MATERIAL.SUPPORT
- Answers the Question: What is the work's support material made off?
- Type: Repeatable
- Definition: The substances of which a work's secondary materials (e.g., trimmings, frames, mounts, pedestals, upholstery, etc.) is composed (e.g., lace, beads, ribbon, oil
paint, ink, graphite, chalk, laid paper, wood, canvas, burlap sacking, ink,
marble, gut, fur, quarter sawed lumber, cast iron, brick, clapboard).
- Guidelines: The degree of detail with which a material is
described (e.g., poplar vs. wood) is defined by local policy.
- Terminology: The use of a dictionary is recommended,
such as M.B. Picken's A Dictionary of Costume and Fashion.
- Mapping:
- REACH Element set: Medium/Materials
- CDWA: Materials and Techniques-Materials-Name, Materials and Techniques-Materials-Role
- MARC: 300ace3, 500
- Dublin Core: Description
W5. TECHNIQUE
Qualifiers:
None
Description: The production or
manufacturing processes, techniques, and methods incorporated in the
fabrication or alteration of the work or image.
Data Values (controlled):
AAT
VRA Core 2.0: W5
Technique
CDWA: Materials and
Techniques-Processes or Techniques- Name
Dublin Core: FORMAT
A 2. COLOR
- Answers the Question: What are the major colors of the work?
- Type: Repeatable
- Definition: The color of the material of which the majority of the work or the substances of the work is composed, (e.g., white, vivid yellow, red, etc.)
- Guidelines: This category records all significant colors of
a work. For example, Back color--black; Silk -- white; Embroidery --gold; Velvet -- emerald green.
- Terminology: The use of a dictionary is recommended,
such as M.B. Picken's A Dictionary of Costume and Fashion (especially terms in the Color Group).
- Mapping:
- CDWA: Materials and Techniques-Materials-Color
- MARC: 653, 500
- Dublin Core: Description
A 3. STRUCTURE
- Answers the Question: How were the work's major parts looked? How were they made?
- Type: Repeatable
- Definition:Terms related to the structure of an object. For example, for a dress there could be neckline, sleeve shape, waist placement, skirt width and length. .
- Guidelines: This category records all significant structure of a work.
Information recorded here maybe redundant with the W 19 NOTE category, but syntax in this category is more structured. For different kinds of objects, e.g., a man's suit or a painting, important components of the structure would be different.
- Terminology: The use of a dictionary is recommended,
such as M.B. Picken's A Dictionary of Costume and Fashion (especially terms in the GROUPS).
- Mapping:
- REACH Element Set: Techniques/Process
- CDWA: Materials and Techniques-Processes or
Techniques-Name
- MARC: 340d, 500
- Dublin Core: Description
W6. CREATOR
Qualifiers
Creator.Role
Creator.Attribution
Creator.Personal name
Creator.Corporate name
Description: The names,
appellations, or other identifiers assigned to an individual, group,
corporate body, or other entity that has contributed to the design,
creation, production, manufacture, or alteration of the work or
image.
Data Values (controlled):
recommend
ULAN and AAAF (LC authority files).
Comment:
Controlled list for role (e.g., artist, engraver, architect, etc.)
and attribution (e.g., school of, workshop of, circle of, style of,
follower of, attributed to, etc.) in development.
VRA Core 2.0: W6 Creator; W7
Role
CDWA:
Creation-Creator-Identity-Names,
Creation-Creator-Identity-Qualifier,
Creation-Creator-Identity-Roles
Dublin Core: CREATOR,
CONTRIBUTOR
W8. DATE
Qualifiers:
Date.Creation
Date.Design
Date.Beginning
Date.Completion
Date.Alteration
Date.Restoration
Description: Date or range
of dates associated with the creation, design, production,
presentation, performance, construction, or alteration, etc. of the
work or image.
Dates may be expressed as free text or numerical.
Data Values: formulated
according to standards for data content (e.g., AACR, DC dates,
etc.)
VRA Core 2.0 W8 Date; V4
Visual Document Date
CDWA: Creation-Date
Dublin Core: DATE,
COVERAGE
W9-12. LOCATION
Qualifiers:
Location.Current Site
Location.Former Site
Location.Creation Site
Location.Discovery Site
Location.Current Repository
Location.Former Repository
Description: The
geographic location and/or name of the repository, building, or
site-specific work or other entity whose boundaries include the Work
or Image.
Data Values (controlled): BHA
index, AAAF (LC), Grove's Dictionary of Art Location
Appendix
VRA Core 2.0 W9 Repository Name;
W10 Repository Place; V5 Visual Document Owner
CDWA: Current Location-Repository
Name, Current Location-Geographic Location,
Context-Architectural-Building/Site,
Context-Architectural-Building/Site-Place,
Context-Archaeological-Excavation Place; Related Visual
Documentation-Image Ownership-Owner's Name
Dublin Core: CONTRIBUTOR,
COVERAGE
W9. LOCATION.REPOSITORY NAME
- Answers the Question: What is the name of the administrative unit where work
is located?
- Type: Non-Repeatable
- Definition: The name of the repository that currently houses the
work, excluding temporary loans. If the work is lost, stolen, or destroyed,
this category identifies the last known repository and states that the work
has been lost, stolen, or destroyed, or that the repository is unknown (e.g.,
Graphische Sammlung Albertina; location unknown, formerly Dan Fellows Platt
Collection).
- Guidelines: The repository name can be a corporate name or a
personal name, as in the case of a private collection. In some cases, the
administrative unit that houses the work should be recorded as well as the
parent institution to which that administrative unit belongs. For example, a
mask might be housed in the Heye Foundation, which is part of the National
Museum of the American Indian, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution.
Or, the repository for a sarcophagus could be the Department of Egyptian
Antiquities in the British Museum.
- Terminology: The use of an authority file for personal names and
corporate bodies is recommended; e.g., the Library of Congress Name
Authorities.
- Mapping:
- REACH Element set: Current Repository Name
- CDWA: Current Location-Repository Name
- MARC: 535a, 710a
- Dublin Core: Right, Description
W 10. LOCATION.REPOSITORY PLACE
- Answers the Question: Where is the repository geographically located?
- Type: Non-Repeatable
- Definition: The geographic place where the repository is currently
located. If the work is lost, stolen, or destroyed, this
category
identifies its last known geographic location (e.g., Vienna, Austria; formerly
New York, NY, USA).
- Guidelines:
- The location should be recorded at least
to the level of city or town. Street addresses may also be recorded. For
large repositories that have facilities in diverse locations, record the
geographic location of the administrative unit that holds the work when this
differs from the location of the main repository buildings. For example, the
National Archives of the United States in Washington, DC, has an
administrative unit that holds works in Arlington, VA; and the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, DC has a unit, the National Museum of the
American Indian, in New York, NY.
- Special Note: For site-specific works,
use Category W12 - Current Site and Category W13 - Original Site, instead of
the repository categories. For example, the obelisk in Piazza Caprettari in
Rome is not located in a "repository" but at a "site." Another example is an
artifact that is now lost, and was last known to exist at an archaeological
site; its location should be recorded in Category W13 - Original
Site.
- Terminology: The use of a controlled vocabulary for geographic
names is recommended, such as the Thesaurus of Geographic Names,
Library of Congress Name Authorities, and Library of Congress
Subject Headings.
- Mapping:
- REACH Element set: Current Repository Place
- CDWA: Current Location-Geographic Location
- MARC: 535bc
- Dublin Core: Right, Description
W 11. LOCATION.CURRENT SITE
- Answers the Question: If the work is site-specific, where is it currently
located?
- Type: Non-Repeatable
- Definition: The geographic place where a building, structure,
sculpture, mural, or other site specific work is currently located (e.g., Mesa
Verde National Park, CO, USA; Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England; Rifle Gap,
CO, USA; Lake Havasu City, AZ, USA; Acropolis, Athens, Greece). For ephemeral
works (e.g., performance works, environmental works) this category identifies
the specific place where the work was performed or where it existed as
depicted in the Visual Document.
- Guidelines: Current Site is intended to accommodate architecture
and other site specific works such as performances,
structures,
sculptures, murals, mosaics, or monuments that do not reside in a repository.
For example, Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers in Rome is not
located in a repository but at a site Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy. Location for
works of architecture, such as Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater,
should be recorded in this category (Bear Run, PA), as should Christo's
ephemeral Surrounded Islands (Biscayne Bay, FL, USA), or Richard Haas'
Homage to the Chicago School (Chicago, IL, USA).
- Terminology: The use of a controlled vocabulary for geographic
names is recommended, such as the Thesaurus of Geographic Names,
Library of Congress Name Authorities, and Library of Congress
Subject Headings.
- Mapping:
- REACH Element set: -
- CDWA: -
- MARC: 651, 752
- Dublin Core: Description
W 12. LOCATION.ORIGINAL SITE
- Answers the question: If the work is site-specific, where was it originally
located or discovered?
- Type: Non-Repeatable
- Definition: The geographic place where a work was originally
located, excavated or discovered (e.g., Tarquinia, Italy; Athens, Greece;
Antwerp, Belgium). Use also for structures or other works that have been moved
or that have not survived.
- Guidelines:
- This category should be used to record the
original location for architectural works that have been moved (e.g.,
London Bridge, originally in London, England, now in Lake Havasu
City, AZ, USA), lost, or destroyed (e.g., Sophienkirche, Dresden,
Germany); and to record the original site of archaeological finds or other
works now residing in repositories else where (e.g., the Elgin
Marbles, original site is Athens, Greece, current repository is the
British Museum, London, England). When using this category, be sure to
record the current site in Category W12 - Current Site or the current
repository in Category W9 - Repository Name and W10- Repository
Place.
- The place where a work was found does not
necessarily indicate where it was made, although it is an important clue to
its past history and use. Knowing where an object was excavated contributes
to analyses of trade patterns and cultural behavior. It may also be
important for the dating and authentication of a work.
- Terminology: The use of a controlled vocabulary for geographic
names is recommended, such as the Thesaurus of Geographic Names, Library of
Congress Name Authorities, and Library of Congress Subject
Headings.
- Mapping:
- REACH Element set: Place of Origin/Discovery
- CDWA: Context-Archaeological Excavation-Place,
Context-Architectural-Building/Site Place
- MARC: 651, 752
- Dublin Core: Description
W13. ID NUMBER
Qualifiers:
ID
Number.Current Repository
ID
Number.Former Repository
ID
Number.Current Accession
ID
Number.Former Accession
Description: The unique
identifiers assigned to a Work or an Image.
Data Values:
VRA Core 2.0 W11 Repository
Number; V6 Visual Document Owner Number
CDWA: Current Location-Repository
Numbers; Related Visual Documentation-Image Ownership-Owner's
Number
Dublin Core:
IDENTIFIER
W14. STYLE/PERIOD
Qualifiers:
Style/Period.Style
Style/Period.Period
Style/Period.Group
Style/Period.School
Style/Period.Dynasty
Style/Period.Movement
Description:
A defined style, historical period, group, school, dynasty, movement,
etc. whose characteristics are represented in the Work or
Image.
Data Values (controlled):
recommend AAT
VRA Core 2.0: W14
Style/Period/Group/Movement
CDWA:
Styles/Periods/Groups/Movements-Indexing Terms
Dublin Core: COVERAGE,
SUBJECT
W15. CULTURE
Qualifiers:
None
Description: The
name of the culture, people (ethnonym), or adjectival form of a
country name from which a Work or Image originates or with which the
Work or Image has been associated.
Data
Values:
recommend AAT, LCSH
VRA Core 2.0: W15
Nationality/Culture
CDWA:
Creation-Creator-Identity-Nationality/Culture/Race-Citizenship;
Creation-Creator-Identity-Nationality/Culture/Race-Culture
Dublin Core:
COVERAGE
W16. SUBJECT | see also W16.1 -- W16.4 for specialized sub-categories of SUBJECTS
Qualifiers:
None
Description: Terms
or phrases that describe, identify, or interpret the Work or Image
and what it depicts or expresses. These may include proper
names (e.g., people or events), geographic designations (places),
generic terms describing the material world, or topics (e.g.,
iconography, concepts, themes, or issues).
Data Values: recommend
AAT, TGM, ICONCLASS, Sears Subject Headings
VRA Core 2.0 W16 Subject; V8
Visual Document Subject
CDWA: Subject
Matter-Description-Indexing Terms; Subject
Matter-Identification-Indexing Terms; Subject
Matter-Interpretation-Indexing Terms, Related Visual
Documentation-View-Indexing Terms
Dublin Core: SUBJECT
W16.1 Subject (personal name): A subject entry in which the entry element is a personal name.
W16.2 Subject (corporate name): A subject entry in which the entry element is a corporate name.
W16.3 Subject (topic term): A subject entry in which the entry element is a topical term. Assigned according to generally accepted thesaurus-building rules, e.g, Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).
W16.4 Subject (index name): A subject entry that is not constructed by standard subject heading/thesaurus-building conventions. Contains index terms that are not derived from a controlled subject heading system/ thesaurus.
W16.5 Subject (faceted topical term): A topical subject entry constructed from a faceted vocabulary, e.g., Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) and [Vocabulary of Basic Terms for Cataloging Costume (ICOMV)]
A 4. RELATED WORK
- Answers the Question: To which work is the described work related?
- Type: Repeatable
- Definition: Works related to the work being described. The
relationship can be temporal (chronological, historical), spatial, causal,
associative, reproductive, or part/whole.
- Guidelines:
- It is recommended that a link be made with
works that have a direct relationship to the described work,
particularly when the relationship may not be otherwise apparent.
Information about relationships between works is used to analyze the
creative process and to trace the influences between works. The amount of
information recorded in this category will be determined by local practice,
but basic identifiers, such as creator, title, and date are recommended. The
purpose of this category is to direct the user to another work and should be
done as economically as possible.
- Works can be related to each other in the
following ways:
- Temporal, as when one work is
preparatory for another (e.g., Perugino's compositional study for the
Adoration of the Magi, a model for a clock, a mold used to cast a
bronze sculpture, a plan for a structure).
- Spatial, such as when two works were
created to hang together as pendants (e.g., Gilbert Stuart's portraits of
George and Martha Washington).
- Causal, as when one work provides
stylistic inspiration for another (e.g., the works of Rembrandt or
Delacroix re-worked by Van Gogh).
- Associative, as when one work is
depicted in the other (e.g., the "visual quotation" of the Mona
Lisa by Marcel Duchamp).
- Reproductive, including copies after
other works (e.g., Rubens' copy of Titian's Bacchanal and George
Baxter's nineteenth century print of Raphael's Descent from the
Cross).
- Hierarchical (part/whole or whole/part),
including works such as altarpieces, drawings, or prints that are part of
a volume or series, pages that are part of a manuscript, wings added to
structures, buildings that are part of a larger complex, and physical
groups that are made up of various objects or works. Historical part/whole
relationships should also be recorded, such as a disassembled sketchbook
and its former folios, dispersed panels that once were part of the same
altarpiece, or architectural spolia that were once part of another
structure. Record here the name of the larger entity to which the
described work belongs, or the multiple parts of the larger work being
described.
- Lost or destroyed work, such as an
original Greek sculpture known only through Roman copies, or a model book
that provided the source for an image found in many versions.
- Terminology: The use of an authority file is recommended;
vocabulary sources for architectural structures include Library of Congress
Name Authorities. For titles of works of art, the name preferred by the
repository should be used if possible.
- Mapping:
- REACH Element Set: Related Objects
- CDWA: RelatedWorks-Identification
- MARC: 787, 300, 733
- Dublin Core: Relation
W18. RELATION
Qualifiers:
Proposed
list for relationship
types
part of
larger context
for
larger
entity
sketch for
based on
cartoon
for
model for
study for
plan for
document
for
document
of
prototype
for
copy after
copy of
original
of
facsimile
of
version of
format of
references
referenced
by
derived
from
source for
Description:
Terms or phrases describing the relationship between the Work or
Image being cataloged and other Works or Images. Relationships can be
whole/part (which occurs when one or more parts are dependent upon
the whole, e.g., a series) or they might be associative (when two or
more Works or images share a relationship through
association).
Data Values:
VRA Core 2.0:
W17 Related Work; W18
Relationship Type
CDWA: Related
Works-Relationship Type; Related Works-Identification
Dublin Core:
RELATION
W19. DESCRIPTION| see also 19.1 -- 19.8 for specialized sub-categories of Description
Qualifiers:
None
Description: A
free-text note about the Work or Image, including comments,
description, or interpretation, that gives additional information not
recorded in other categories.
Data Values:
VRA Core 2.0: W19
DESCRIPTION
CDWA: the "Remarks" section for
various categories; Physical Description
Dublin Core:
DESCRIPTION
19.1 DESCRIPTION (general): Contains general information for which a specialized W19 NOTE sub-category has not been defined.
Mapping:
MARC: 500
19.2 DESCRIPTION (credit line): Contains a statement of the credits for persons or organizations that related to the work being described (e.g., Credit: gift of Miss. Marie E. Albers.)
Mapping:
MARC: 500
19.3 DESCRIPTION (immediate source of acquisition): Information on the immediate source of acquisition of the described work.
Mapping:
MARC: 541
19.4 DESCRIPTION (conservation): An assessment of the overall physical condition,
characteristics, and completeness of a work of art at a particular time. Contains information about the history of the object's condition and repairs.
Mapping:
MARC: 520, 500
CDWA:Condition/Examination History
19.5 DESCRIPTION (provenance): Contains information concerning the ownership and custodial history of the described objects from the time of their creation to the time of their accessioning, including the time at which individual items or group of items were first brought together in their current arrangement or collation.
Mapping:
MARC 561
19.6 DESCRIPTION (citations):Contains citations or references to published bibliographic descriptions, reviews, abstracts, or indexes of the content of the described item.
Mapping:
MARC: 510
19.7 DESCRIPTION (exhibition): Contains a citation to an exhibition where the described objects have been shown.
Mapping:
MARC: 585
19.8 DESCRIPTION (label or tag)
A description of distinguishing or identifying
physical markings, lettering, annotations, texts, or labels that are
a part of a work of art or are affixed, applied, stamped, written,
inscribed, or attached to the work, excluding any mark or text
inherent in materials.
Mapping:
MARC: 500
CDWA: Inscriptions/Marks
W20. SOURCE
Qualifiers:
None
Description: A
reference to the source of the information recorded about the work or
the image. For a work record, this may be a citation to the
authority for the information provided. For an image, it can be used
to provide information about the supplying Agency, Vendor or
Individual; or,in the case of copy photography, a bibliographic
citation or other description of the image source. In both cases,
names, locations, and source identification numbers can be
included.
Data Values:
VRA Core 2.0: V9
Source
CDWA: Related Visual
Documentation-Image-Source-Name; Related Visual
Documentation-Image-Source
Dublin Core:
SOURCE
W21. RIGHTS
Qualifiers:
None
Description: Information about
rights management; may include copyright and other intellectual
property statements required for use.
Data Values:
VRA Core 2.0:
None
CDWA: Related Visual
Documentation-Copyright Restrictions
Dublin Core: RIGHTS
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