Historical photographs can generate significant cultural and economic value, but often their subjects go unidentified. However, if analyzed correctly, visual clues in these photographs can open up new directions in identifying unknown subjects. For example, many 19th century photographs contain painted backdrops that can be mapped to a specific photographer or location, but this research process is often manual, time-consuming, and unsuccessful. AI-based computer vision algorithms could be used to automatically identify painted backdrops or photographers or cluster photos with similar backdrops in order to aid researchers. However, it is unknown which computer vision algorithms are feasible for painted backdrop identification or which techniques work better than others. We present three studies evaluating four different types of image embeddings – Inception, CLIP, MAE, and pHash – across a variety of metrics and techniques. We find that a workflow using CLIP embeddings combined with a background classifier and simulated user feedback performs best. We also discuss implications for human-AI collaboration in visual analysis and new possibilities for digital humanities scholarship. / Master of Science / Historical photographs can generate significant cultural and economic value, but often their subjects go unidentified. However, if these photographs are analyzed correctly, clues in these photographs can open up new directions in identifying unknown subjects. For example, many 19th century photographs contain painted backdrops that can be mapped to a specific photographer or location, but this research process is often manual, time-consuming, and unsuccessful. Artificial Intelligence-based computer vision techniques could be used to automatically identify painted backdrops or photographers or group together photos with similar backdrops in order to aid researchers. However, it is unknown which computer vision techniques are feasible for painted backdrop identification or which techniques work better than others. We present three studies comparing four different types of computer vision techniques – Inception, CLIP, MAE, and pHash – across a variety of metrics. We find that a workflow that combines the CLIP computer vision technique, software that automatically classifies photo backgrounds, and simulated human feedback performs best. We also discuss implications for collaboration between humans and AI for analyzing images and new possibilities for academic research combining technology and history.

No description available.

Yes / Development of the continental shelf has accelerated significantly as nations around the world seek to harness offshore renewable energy. Many areas marked for development align with submerged palaeolandscapes. Poorly understood and difficult to protect, these vulnerable, prehistoric landscapes provide specific challenges for heritage management. Indeed, there now appears to be a schism between what underwater cultural heritage policy intends and what it is achieving in practice. Shortcomings in international and national legislature ensure that large parts of the continental shelf, including areas under development, may have little or no legal protection. Increasingly impacted by extensive development, these unique cultural landscapes are ever more at risk. However, heritage challenges posed by such development also create opportunities. An immense amount of data is being generated by development, and there is an opportunity to establish broader cooperative relationships involving industrial stakeholders, national curators, government bodies, and heritage professionals. As a matter of urgency, the archaeological community must better engage with the offshore sector and development process. If achieved, we may revolutionise our knowledge of submerged prehistoric settlement and land use. Otherwise, our capacity to reconstruct prehistoric settlement patterns, learn from past climate change, or simply manage what are among the best-preserved postglacial landscapes globally may be irreparably undermined. / Support provided by AHRC project Taken at the Flood (AH/W003287/1 00). Data from the Southern River were collected by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), partnered by Europe’s Lost Frontiers. This was supported by European Research Council funding through the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (project 670518 LOST FRONTIERS).

No / The industrial heritage for the City of Bradford Metropolitan District is of international significance, with the city formerly being the centre of the world’s worsted trade during the nineteenth century. The intensification of textile production during the industrial revolution resulted in exponential growth of all aspects of the city, the legacy seen in the townscape heritage of the city today. The structures from this period have played a key role in defining the city’s identity. Since the decline of the textile industry the fabric of many of these buildings from the city’s golden age are under threat and at high risk of loss due to weathering, vandalism and fire. Given the varied nature and condition of these structures, a rapid approach has been applied that complements initiatives in train with Bradford Council to regenerate the ‘Top of Town’; that are reflective of Historic England’s ‘Engines of Prosperity’ report into the regeneration of Industrial Heritage; and with the Management of Saltaire World Heritage site. This chapter focuses on the digital documentation of a conservation area which is highly vulnerable, producing a dataset to aid conservation, management, interpretation and promotion of Bradford’s rich heritage.

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The purpose of this study is to examine how history is used at memorial sites connected to “snapphanar” in three municipalities in the region of Scania in southern Sweden. The word snapphane is a name used to describe the people in Scania who rebelled against the Swedish crown during the 17th century. Some joined the Danish army, and some were partisans without any connection to Denmark.  Ten places were visited, and eight memorials connected to the snapphane story were found and analyzed. The aim is to analyze how they are portrayed and how their history is used. The theoretical framework applied to the analysis is a modified version of Klas-Göran Karlssons typology over different categories of use of history.  The results show that the memorials use history in many ways, and most memorials show several different types of history use combined. The use of history to retell what happened at the place of the memorial is prominent, but the snapphane story is also used to bring up how the region was mistreated by Sweden when it became a part of Sweden. Furthermore, there is a history use that points toward a need to highlight the uniqueness of the people and the surroundings, but also highlight the Danish heritage that shapes the region. The result also shows that the snapphanar are portrayed as men only, and they are most often described as farmers forced to revolt against the Swedish king due to the harsh treatment of them.  The results also show that snapphanar are used in the marketing of the region.

This thesis explores the circumstances around Public-Private-Partnership in library digitisation of cultural heritage. The thesis uses a qualitative analysis on pre-existing documents and covers two case studies where interests, communication and handling of cultural heritage is explored using latent thematic analysis. The first case study explores a digitisation effort with six academic libraries and the Swedish National Library as they initiate a partnership with Google Books. The second case study explores a digitisation partnership between the Swedish National Library and three American non-profit institution. The thesis uses the four spaces model developed for library institutions, and a theoretical representation of cultural heritage as Significance, Form and Material in analysis. The thematic analysis relates the interests of the partnerships with the expectations on the institutions and the trends spotted in previous Public-Private-Partnership digitisation. The findings are limited by the confidentiality of the Public-Private-Partnerships and make an argument for the need for further research in the field. The thesis finds strong connection between the development of the cases under study and the trends in cultural heritage digitisation identified in background and previous research. The analysis shows that the public institutions approached the partnerships with clear roles that pertained to the purposes of each institution. In the discussion the question of whether Public-Private-Partnership is being utilised to its best qualities is being raised. The findings work as a starting point for discourse and further research, and a resource of information on the two cases.

Stockholms befolkning ökar, vilket skapar ett behov av fler bostäder, arbetsplatser och attraktiva offentliga miljöer. Kommunen har bland annat mål om en effektiv markanvändning i stadsbyggandet, vilket innebär att de vill utnyttja platser som är eller har varit industriområden. Ett exempel på ett sådant område är gasverket i Norra Djurgårdsstaden, som är en del av Sveriges största stadsutvecklingsprojekt samtidigt som det dessutom har synnerligen höga kulturhistoriska värden.  Denna rapport undersöker hur kulturhistoriska byggnader och miljöer kan bevaras och integreras i samtida byggprojekt, dels genom att titta på hur olika aktörers intressen påverkar och dels genom att titta på hur gasverket i Norra Djurgårdsstaden har anpassat de kulturhistoriska byggnaderna och miljöerna efter nutida behov. För att göra detta har dokumentstudier, platsobservationer och intervjuer genomförts. Resultatet visar att de olika intressena som finns i stadsutvecklingsprojekt påverkar möjligheten att bevara och integrera kulturhistoriska byggnader och miljöer genom att det krävs kompromisser som många gånger påverkar kulturmiljön negativt. Vidare visar studien att gasverksområdet har anpassat de kulturhistoriska byggnaderna och miljöerna efter nutidens behov på flera olika sätt. Exempelvis används olika typer av platsmarknadsföring och förtätning samt att flertalet håltagningar tillåts i byggnadernas fasader. För nya byggnader som tillkommer är ambitionen att låta dem smälta in med den befintliga arkitekturen. Anpassningarna som görs för att möta de nutida behoven görs dock på bekostnad av de kulturhistoriska värdena. / Stockholm’s population is increasing which creates a need for more housing, workspaces and good public spaces. The municipality wants to use the land efficiently and to accomplish this, old industrial land is often used. One example of this is the former gas plant in Norra Djurgårdsstaden, which is a part of Sweden's largest urban development project as well as being a cultural heritage site.  This study examines how cultural heritage sites can be preserved and adapted to meet contemporary needs, specifically in the former gas plant. The study also examines how different conflicts of interest affect the possibility to integrate heritage sites in contemporary urban planning. To do this, document studies, interviews and observations were conducted.  The result shows that the many conflicts of interest entail compromises that often diminish the cultural heritage. The study also shows that the gas plant project has used many different approaches to preserve and adapt the cultural heritage to contemporary needs. For example, place marketing and densification have been used as well as changes in the facades of the buildings. Even though new buildings should blend in with the existing architecture, the overall adaptations have been made at the expense of the cultural heritage.

In this thesis the Oceania collection of Anders Sparrman is examined and discussed. Anders Sparrman, who was a disciple of Carl von Linnaeus, participated on James Cooks second voyage around the world. During this voyage, Sparrman assembled the collection that today is stored at the museum of Ethnography in Stockholm. The collection is complemented by Sparrman’s own journal from his travels, providing his perspective on the items he collected and the islands he visited. The items in the collection are analyzed through the aspects of hybridization, colonial herit-age and repatriation together with how collections of this type, with a dual cultural heritage, can be exhibited in a way so that both a national and international audience can take part of it. A rel-evant question is also what further research that can be done on collections of this type. With this thesis I argue that a digital exhibition would be the best way to make collections of this kind available on a national and international level. Also research projects over country- and institutional- borders on these types of items would extend the knowledge about them and elabo-rate the whole history around these objects that both have a cultural value in Sweden and in the South Pacific.

This thesis is a research project that aims to build, in the first instance, a historical, theoretical, and methodological frame of reference and protection of cultural property, and more precisely of the territorial cultural heritage. The starting point is the analysis of the concepts of culture, heritage, landscape and territory, in addition to others such as management, tourism, social heritagization and development, all this through a detailed study starting from the perspective of the human sciences and culture, with the aim to approach to the positions on these ideas that are being debated today. The ultimate objective is the design of an instrument that serves to make readings of landscapes and in the same way, as a platform to design strategies in favour of the enhancement, protection, conservation, interpretation and management of the landscape as an asset of the territorial culture heritage. / Esta tesis es un trabajo de investigación que tiene como objetivo construir, en primera instancia, un marco de referencia histórica, teórica, metodológica y de tutela de los bienes culturales, y más precisamente del patrimonio cultural territorial. El punto de partida es el análisis de los conceptos de cultura, patrimonio, paisaje y territorio; además de otros como gestión, turismo, patrimonialización social y desarrollo, todo ello a través un estudio pormenorizado desde la perspectiva de las ciencias humanos y de la cultura,con la intención de acercarse a las posiciones que sobre estas ideas se debaten hoy. Se trata de establecer un instrumento que sirva para realizar lecturas de los paisajes y de la misma manera,el diseño estrategias a favor de la puesta en valor, la protección, la conservación, la interpretación y el manejo del paisaje como un bien del patrimonio cultura territorial.