A great idea for an agency
The 70s and 80s
Word spreads
1992
Going digital
1999
Bridgeman moves online
2000
London, New York, Paris
2007
Changes at the Top
A great idea for an agency
Harriet Bridgeman conceived the idea for a central source of fine art images in the early 1970s, whilst working in publishing as an editor of illustrated art books. At that time, anyone wishing to reproduce a fine art image was faced with the daunting task of locating first the work and then the owner of the work in order to gain permission and a photograph. The process could be slow, difficult and expensive, particularly if multiple images from different sources were required and no photographs existed.
It was clear that many museums were neither financed nor equipped to service these kinds of requests. The quality of caption information and transparencies, when they were available, also varied considerably. Harriet Bridgeman began to see the obvious need for a specialised agency for reproduction licensing, staffed by experts in art history, picture research and rights. The Bridgeman Art Library was formed in 1972 to protect the copyright of art owners and provide an essential link between them and image users.
GRB 4464