PICTORIAONE

For museums, archives, libraries and research collections

Turn visual collections into searchable knowledge

An institutional system to receive, catalogue, investigate and share visual collections, with context, sources, provenance and accountability preserved.

Discuss a pilot See how it works
Pictoria One
Search works, people, places, documents…
Workflow Governance — Roles — Audit
Intake · Batch 2026-0718

Incoming material

In quarantine
HU_slide_00482.tifTIFF · 148.3 MB · 7416 × 5284 pxChecksum verified · no duplicate found
HU_slide_00483.tifTIFF · 152.7 MB · 7416 × 5284 pxChecksum verified · source recorded
HU_slide_00484.tifTIFF · 149.9 MBPossible duplicate of PO-000131
3 of 8 files validatedAccept batch →
Cataloguing · Record PO-000184

Architectural study, north elevation

In review
Creator
Unidentified 2 proposals
Date
ca. 1920–1930 sourced
Type
Drawing AAT
Rights
Institution · cleared
Work PO-000184Image Lantern slideDocument Ledger 1934File 00482.tif
Explore · 1284 visible records

Follow the relations

Approved only
Place: Berlin-MitteTechnique: Albumen print1880–1910
North elevationPhotograph · 1896
Courtyard studyPhotograph · 1902
Portal detailGlass negative · undated
Linked: 3 people · 2 buildings · 5 documentsSave as set →
Export · Set “Courtyards, 1880–1910”

Prepare for release

Ready
  • ✓ Rights cleared for 42 of 42 records
  • ✓ Masters withheld · derivatives only
  • ✓ Sources and credits included
  • ✓ Review approved · logged to audit trail
Nothing is published until approvedRelease set →
Pilot interface, simplified01 / 04

What changes for the institution

Scattered files become a collection you can reason about

01

One environment for the whole collection

Works, images, documents and files are held together with their relations, rather than spread across drives, spreadsheets and legacy databases.

02

Every claim can be traced

Attributions, dates and identifications keep their sources, their authors and their revision history.

03

Research that goes beyond keywords

Follow the connections between people, places, subjects, techniques and documents across the whole holding.

04

Publication on the institution’s terms

Records and assets leave only once rights, review and visibility have been settled.

The model

Four things, kept distinct and connected

Collection data is often flattened into a single record: the work, its photograph, the ledger that records it and the file on disk. Pictoria One keeps them as separate entities joined by explicit relations, so history stays complex where it is complex.

  1. Document Inventory ledger, 1934 p. 112, entry 47
  2. Work Architectural study, north elevation Drawing · ca. 1920–1930
  3. Image Lantern slide of the study Glass · photographed 1931
  4. File HU_slide_00482.tif Master · checksum recorded

Alternatives are kept, not overwritten

Competing attributions, dates and identifications remain side by side, each with its evidence and review history.

The institution remains the authority

Local terms link to shared vocabularies and authorities, which enrich the catalogue without replacing the institution’s own records.

  • Getty AAT
  • Getty ULAN
  • Getty TGN
  • Wikidata
  • Iconclass

Workflow

From arrival to publication, in one continuous record

  1. 01

    Intake

    Receive and verify material before it enters the collection.

    • Batch source and provenance
    • Checksums and duplicate control
    • Quarantine before acceptance
  2. 02

    Cataloguing

    Start with basic identification and deepen the record as knowledge grows.

    • Basic or in-depth description
    • Sources, rights and provenance
    • Versions and reviewed revisions
  3. 03

    Explore

    Investigate the collection through its relations, not only its keywords.

    • People, places, subjects, techniques
    • Side-by-side comparison
    • Ordered research sets
  4. 04

    Export

    Prepare records and assets for controlled export and publication.

    • Rights checked before release
    • Derivatives, not masters
    • Approval recorded in the audit trail

Custody and governance

The collection stays under the institution’s control

Permissions separate metadata work from access to original files, with distinct controls for review, rights, export and destructive actions.

Scoped roles

Cataloguing, review, rights and preservation permissions are assigned independently.

Protected masters

Accepted master files remain private, traceable and versioned, never overwritten.

Complete audit trail

Reviews, rights changes, exports and sensitive access leave a permanent record.

Dual control

Destructive actions require a separate request and approval.

Local or cloud

Run on a protected local server without internet access, or in the cloud for shared work across teams. Catalogue, permissions and audit are the same in both.

Governed AI In development

Any AI assistance will work only on material the institution has cleared, and its proposals stay private until reviewed.

Built for

  • Museums
  • Archives
  • Libraries
  • Universities
  • Research groups
  • Specialist collections

Pilot programme

Evaluate Pictoria One with your own collection

We are working with a small number of institutions and research projects to test Pictoria One against their existing cataloguing workflows.

Discuss a pilot