Provenance and Original Order: Why They Matter in Archives
When archivists talk about provenance and original order, they are talking about more than just where something came from or how it is organized. These two principles are at the core of archival work, guiding how we preserve, describe, and provide access to historical records. In this blog post, we explore what these concepts mean, how they developed over time, and why they remain essential today.
What Is Provenance?
Provenance refers to the origin or source of something. In the context of archives, it includes the history of the creation, custody, and ownership of a record or collection. Think of it like a "chain of custody" in legal practice: it provides legitimacy, authenticity, and a record of the unchanging nature of the materials.
Archivists often work with records that have passed through many hands. Understanding who created the records, who collected them, and who donated or sold them is key to preserving their meaning and integrity. These roles may include authors, photographers, translators, collectors, and donors.
Documentation tools such as wills, deeds of gift, auction catalogs, and related archival materials can help delineate this custodial history. Finding aids typically include fields such as:
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Custodial History
Accruals
Processing Information
Biographical/Historical Notes
Scope and Content Notes
Providing consistent documentation and citation of these sources supports transparency and aids future researchers.
What Is Original Order?
Original order refers to the organization and sequence established by the creator of the records. It reflects how the records were used in their original context. Maintaining original order can preserve the relationships between documents and the structure imposed by the record creator.
This is related to the idea of the archival bond, which refers to the interrelationships between records that were created during the same activity or function. Keeping documents in their original order can help users understand how the creator thought, worked, and grouped information.
Importantly, original order does not always mean original sequence. The logic and groupings matter more than the specific order in which documents appear. In some cases, records may have been reorganized or disrupted over time, and part of the archivist's job is to make sense of what remains.
Respect des Fonds and Provenienzprinzip
Two major principles arise from the concepts of provenance and original order:
Respect des fonds: Maintain records according to their origin and keep them in the units in which they were originally accumulated.
Provenienzprinzip (Principle of Provenance): Keep records from one administrative unit separate from those of another, maintaining their original context.
These principles help archivists avoid commingling records that come from different sources, which would risk erasing or distorting the historical context and relationships between documents.
How These Concepts Developed
The ideas of provenance and original order have a long history:
France (1839-1841): Early regulations and Circular #14 helped define the concept of fonds but did not yet address original order.
Prussia (1770s-1881): Early efforts emphasized maintaining the context of archival documents. The concept of the provenienzprinzip emerged in the Prussian state archives.
Netherlands and Belgium (1898-1910): The publication of the "Dutch Manual" and the International Congress of Archivists helped codify respect des fonds.
United Kingdom (1922): Sir Hilary Jenkinson emphasized respect des fonds as the most important archival principle.
Italy (1939): Giorgio Cencetti introduced the concept of the "archival bond."
Real-World Applications and Challenges
Archivists encounter a range of conditions when working with accessions:
A desk drawer dumped into a box
Hanging file folders from an office cabinet
Meticulously labeled and ordered personal papers
Each situation requires thoughtful consideration of how to preserve or reconstruct the original order. Sometimes the logic behind a creator's organization offers deep insight into the materials. Other times, the order may be arbitrary or lost.
Archivists must also decide how to handle confused fonds or artificial collections, such as:
Historic house collections combining unrelated documents based on location
Assembled collections that prioritize potential use over origin
In these cases, archivists often separate materials into smaller collections or organize them by topic, format, or provenance. Clear disclosure in finding aids is critical. When collections are artificial, users should be made aware that they lack a unified origin.
Transparency in Archival Work
Archival processing is not always neat or straightforward. Recognizing this complexity means:
Describing the interventions archivists make
Sharing information about arrangement decisions, accruals, and other descriptive data
Acknowledging that processing decisions shape access and understanding
Maintaining and disclosing provenance and original order helps preserve the integrity of archival materials. It ensures users can interpret records in light of how they were created and used, rather than just how they were categorized after the fact.
Final Thoughts
Respecting provenance and original order does not mean resisting all reorganization or intervention. It means recognizing and preserving the contextual relationships that make archives meaningful. Whether you are arranging a new accession, creating a finding aid, or evaluating an artificial collection, these principles remain vital tools for responsible archival stewardship.
Recorded Webinar
To learn more about how these principles are applied in real archival settings, check out our recorded webinar, Provenance and Original Order. In the session, we explore historical examples, practical strategies for processing collections, and ethical considerations that shape how we approach context and arrangement today.
Provenance and Original Order Recorded Webinar
