Reference code

CAT INSPAI 16

Level of description

Collection

Title

Pagès Fuertes collection

Date(s)

Inclusive dates: 1850-1960

Volume and support

98 black and white photographs with positives on paper, from 4.5 × 6.5 cm to 30 × 46 cm, and with albumen and gelatin prints; and 23 postcards.

Name of producer(s)

Dídac Pagès Fuertes

Producer history

Dídac Pagès (Girona, 8 December 1979) is a cook who lives in Llambilles. He started to collect when he was eight years old, after finding a box of family documents dating from the end of the 18th century up until the 21st century, and he continued through purchases at national and international auctions and fairs. The photographs he has gathered of Catalonia and Girona province have been donated to the INSPAI Image Centre for their preservation and dissemination. They include portraits of figures of public interest, family portraits, social events and festivals in the municipalities of Girona province, historical events, and views of landscapes and important buildings.

Archive history

The collection held in Mr Pagès's home was acquired by INSPAI in two phases. Between 2000 and 2005, Mr Pagès brought 13 photographs to the Centre. In 2009, he submitted 113 images and treatment of the entire collection began. The images from the second phase were found in an abandoned country house that was possibly owned by the Ciurana family (Girona), of whom we find many images in the collection. Treatment of the photographs began in August and the first step was to enter the acquisition into the acquisitions register and include the collection in INSPAI's fonds and collections chart. Each of the photographs was given a record and, next, all of the images were computerised in the Centre's database following the order they came in when acquired. In March 2010, the entire collection was cleaned and restored and subsequently relocated to permanent preservation material. The entire cleaning process was documented with photographs and a report that can be found in the fonds folder. After restoration, the collection was digitised using a Canon Eos camera. Two copies were made in TIFF and JPEG without retouching and another two with retouches to the colour levels and profiles, without ever manipulating the image. All of the original images are preserved in INSPAI's repository 2 and the digital images are preserved on hard drives 3, 7, and 45, and on the cloud (2016).

Details of entry

The acquisition was formalised on 25 August 2010 through a donation agreement between Girona Provincial Council and Mr Dídac Pagès Fuertes.

Scope and content

This set of Mr Pagès's photographs brings together images from 1850 to 1960. The themes are very varied due to the heterogeneous nature of the collector's work when it comes to gathering photographs and documents. The subject matter includes portraits of public figures from Girona, such as the mayor of the city between 1892 and 1910 (with intervals), Francesc Ciurana, family portraits of the same mayor, portraits of public figures in Catalonia and of anonymous people, photographs of monuments in Girona, and photographs of religious and political events in Girona province, such as the unveiling of the statue commemorating the 1808-1809 defenders of Girona in Plaça Sant Agustí, an image of great interest for the history of the province. Geographically, the images mainly cover Girona province, but we also find some from the rest of world, such as photographs of the city of Manila after an earthquake in 1863, or a portrait of soldiers from the Crimean War in 1855.

Conditions for access

Free and open access.

Related documentation

Author and date(s)

SGM, September 2010. Revised in September 2013.

Sources