Berenice Abbott

Rights and Restrictions Information

Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 20540-4730

Photographs by Berenice Abbott may be found in many collections in the Prints & Photographs Division. Commerce Graphics has informed the Library that it now owns the copyright to all of Abbott's photographs. The Library has not found any information in the Copyright Office that substantiates this claim. Privacy and publicity rights may also apply.

Access: Permitted; subject to P&P policy on serving originals.

Reproduction (photocopying, hand-held camera copying, photoduplication and other forms of copying allowed by "fair use"): Permitted; subject to P&P policy on copying.
This policy prohibits xeroxing of the original photographs in this collection.

Publication and other forms of distribution: May be restricted. Commerce Graphics asserts that it holds Abbott's copyrights. The company controls the Berenice Abbott archive and normally sells the usage rights to Abbott photographs. While the Library of Congress has not found any information in the Copyright Office that substantiates this claim, patrons are advised that Commerce Graphics is still in business and has an interest in the use of Abbott's images. Patrons are advised to check for copyright before publishing or otherwise distributing photographs credited to Abbott. Some of Abbott's portrait photographs may be subject to rights of privacy and publicity. Patrons are responsible for investigating these rights and any other restrictions imposed by clients, sitters, or their heirs. The address and telephone number for Commerce Graphics is:

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number e.g., LC-USZ62-108760]

For more information, please read: Copyright and Other Restrictions: ... Sources for Information