Robert C. Lautman was a distinguished architectural photographer who established his practice in Washington, D.C. in the 1940s. Over the course of his career, he photographed many of the city’s most iconic buildings and institutions, such as the National Cathedral, the Capitol, and the Smithsonian museums. Lautman’s sweeping collection of photographs encompasses many of the capital’s most prominent federal and cultural landmarks.
In 2007, the National Building Museum received Lautman’s business archive of architectural photography materials, estimated at over 70,000 objects. Today, Museum staff are working to organize, catalog, rehouse, and digitize the collection to improve public access and ensure its long-term preservation.
Digitization is an important part of preservation. The process involves creating digital copies of physical collection materials. For the Lautman archive, this means converting photographic prints, negatives, transparencies, slides, and other materials into digital files that can be preserved, managed, and shared online. While the concept may seem straightforward, digitization requires careful planning and attention to detail.
Why do museums invest so much time and effort in digitization? Two primary goals drive this work: access and preservation.
Museums preserve collections so that people can learn from them, conduct research, and engage with history. However, materials stored only in archives can be difficult for researchers and the public to access. Digitization helps bridge that gap by making collections more visible and more widely available.
The Lautman collection provides a strong example. It is one of the Museum’s most requested collections for research inquiries. As more of the collection becomes available online, awareness continues to grow. Researchers, authors, preservation advocates, and members of the public have used Lautman’s photographs in publications, personal research projects, and efforts to document and protect historic places. Increasing access to these materials helps ensure that the collection can continue to serve a wide range of audiences and purposes.
Digitization also supports the long-term preservation of collection materials. Providing digital access reduces the need to handle original objects, helping to minimize wear and damage. The Lautman archive includes photographic prints, negatives, transparencies, slides, and other formats that can be vulnerable to tearing, scratching, and deterioration over time. Frequent handling can accelerate that damage. Digital copies allow users to access the information contained in these materials while helping to protect the originals.
Digitization also creates a consistent visual record of an object’s condition. In the photo below, one of Lautman’s photographs of the Newport, Rhode Island, Breakers Mansion, there is a tear in the middle left side of the photo and creases along the bottom edge. Why leave them in the digital image? Couldn’t they be fixed with digital image editing? As collections professionals, those markers offer important context and information.
Collections professionals want to know all of an object’s potential issues to trace the object’s condition over time. Object photos provide a point of comparison for when someone views them decades from now. These photos help inform questions such as: Has the object’s condition deteriorated enough to require changes in the environmental conditions in which the object is stored? Does the object need conservation treatment? Digital copies support these kinds of long-term preservation decisions. Collections goals regarding object photos differ from those of a photographer or the public. Rather than capturing the “perfect” image, the priority is to document the object accurately and honestly, exactly as it exists.
Digitization plays a vital role in the museum world, supporting both the preservation of collections and access to them. By creating lasting digital records, museums can expand access to collections while also protecting the physical objects for future generations.
This post was written by Abigail Wollam, a Spring 2026 National Building Museum collections intern. In May 2026, she graduated with a master’s degree in Museum Studies at the George Washington University, Corcoran School of Art & Design, with a focus on collections management. To learn more about internship opportunities at the Museum, click here.