How to Use the Map and the Methods behind its Creation

The present map is a product of the first phase of a scholarly research project that examines this temporally and thematically restricted set of 378 negatives by Josef Sudek from the photographer's estate, identified in the photo library of the Institute of Art History at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Aside from the present digital web application which contains detailed descriptions of the places in the photographs, we also created a simplified paper map (in pdf format) presenting three interconnected walks in and around the photographed places. With the help of QR codes, the map links to the more detailed online content and the functions of the map which can be accessed on site from a smartphone or a wifi-enabled tablet. The web application supports GPS navigation so the users can compare the photographs with the present state of the places. The printed map is also suitable for classical, non-digital navigation around the city.

To create the specialized map, researchers used largely the method of art-historical and topographical analysis. At first, the places in the photographs were localized, then dated and matched with particular historical events. Both primary and secondary literature was used to identify the photographed buildings and to study their history and role in wartime events. Where possible, we added information about Sudek's relationship to particular places and the photograph's art-historical or technical aspects. To view all the information, click on the point in the digital Map or on the name of the place on the List in the text part. The literature cited can be found in the footnotes under the texts as well as in the Bibliography section. The photographs can also be accessed via subject filters, which allow users to view the map thematically (e. g. the places destroyed during the February air raid, the water tanks, the interiors of heritage buildings, etc. - see Filters). The present map is a synthesis of particular historical events and Prague monuments affected by World War II, and users are encouraged to follow up and further study the individual cases.

The scholarly work on the map also included coming up with a way of reproducing the original images. The map reflects the method used throughout the project. Because the set consists largely of negatives, we decided to re-photograph each of them by way of a specially developed method, which preserves the integrity of the originals and is time efficient. The resulting images were then digitally converted into positives and prepared for publication. Retouches on the photographed negatives only removed defects that appeared during digitization (impurities, dust, etc.), while the original imperfections or material degradation remained. We only slightly modified the tonality of the photographs, such as in the case of overexposed or underexposed photographs. Where Sudek's own positive print has been preserved, we followed its tone when creating the new image. The presented digital copies of the negatives may significantly differ from Sudek's original intention (it is possible that he never intended to develop the negatives presented here, or that if he did, he was going to make adjustments in his darkroom). The value of these negatives is above all historical and informative and for this reason they were included in the map: they create an image of an important and now largely indistinct history of the photographed monuments, as well as the buildings and places that Sudek chose to capture. By studying these negatives, we can better understand the topography of Sudek's movement through a city ravaged by war and more precisely follow his working method—choice of viewpoint and angle, but also the weather and hour of the day he liked to shoot.

The map illustrated with Sudek's photographs is not meant as a comprehensive survey of Prague's losses during World War II. It shows only some of them, and also includes temporary wartime structures. The set will be presented in a more thorough way in a travelling exhibition planned for 2018. The  accompanying scholarly catalogue will cover broader research perspectives, such as the history and theory of photography, Poláček's commissions for the Calendar, as well as Sudek's methods in the context of other photographers of war-torn Prague.