Documenting Your Collections
Info-Muse Network Documentation Guide

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Subject/Image (Physical Description)

Field to be used with an authority listField used for ethnology and history collectionsField used for fine and decorative arts collectionsSociété des musées québécois Info-Muse database field

Definition:

  • This field contains keywords to provide searchable data on the thematic content (subject or image) of the object.

Observation:

  • Enter the thematic content of the object using a keyword. For better search results in your database, avoid using a large variety of terms; draw up an authority list and add keywords as necessary. You may use the authority list below, established by the Musée du Québec for its ARTimage project.1
    abstract indoor scene quotation
    allegory landscape religion
    animal marine science
    architecture mythology self-reference
    body narration semi-abstraction
    cartoon nude sign and symbol
    documentary object society and identity
    fantastic ornamentation still life
    figure plant urban scene
    genre scene portrait writing
    history    

Entry rules:

  1. Enter a keyword describing the iconographic content of the object.
    Example

      Object Nameprint
      Artist/Maker Borduas, Paul-Émile
    Subject/Imageabstract
  2. If you are unsure whether your information is correct, include a space and a question mark after the keyword.
  3. If there is more than one theme, enter a maximum of three different keywords in decreasing order of importance. Multiple entries should be separated by a semicolon followed by a space.
    Example

      Object Nameurn
      Artist/Maker Cradock, Joseph
    Subject/Image allegory; landscape; genre scene

 
  1. Authority list from Labbé, Thérèse. Répertoire des "sujets et mots clés" (recherche thématique) pour Manuel de documentation. Québec: Musée du Québec, 2000. For more information on term definitions, contact the Info-Muse network team.

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