Geoff Schmalz 8th blog Musee d'Orsay Paris

This blog concerns the digitized architectural drawings at the Musee d'Orsay Paris.
http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/architecture.html?S=0

Selection Procedure: Twenty fascinating architectural drawings were chosen. They range from a cross-section of a church to a monument to the French Revolution. Some are color images and some are black and white. Most of the architecture in is Paris or France, but an image of the entrance to the reception room in the Wiesler Hotel in Graz, Austria is included.

Image Characteristics: The images are first seen in thumbnail size. Next to each one is a brief paragraph describing the image with a "more" link underneath. When the user clicks on this he or she is taken to a new page dedicated to the image and from which the image can be enlarged if clicked upon. Furthermore, an extensive description of the architecture and architect involved is also present. This places the architecture in its historical context, a most helpful feature.

Metadata: On the first page is just the small caption and "more" link. When "more" is clicked upon the page has the longer description. Once the image has been enlarged from its dedicated page, it is then possible to zoom into or out of the image using the magnifying glass tool on its bottom right. Also on the enlarged image page is information about the architect, the architecture, its context, what materials were used in the drawing's production, its height and width and the fact that it is at the Musee d'Orsay. For example: Alphonse-Nicolas Crépinet (1826-1892)New Opera House, perspective view. Project for the competion opened in 1860 for the new Paris opera house1861Black lead and watercolour H. 51; W. 69 cm Paris, Musée d'Orsay.

Intended Audience: I believe the intended audience for the architecture drawings and sketches at the Musee d'Orsay is quite broad. I come to this conclusion given the great deal of context that the long descriptions give about the architect of each project, the project itself and its place in history. As a result, I believe that historians, architectural historians, people interested in French history, and artists could all be interested in this collection. Not to mention the great joy it could undoubtedly bring architects looking for inspiration and/or understanding of the buildings or their designers.