I've recently begun numbering and cataloguing a collection of slides that
was only partially processed when first aquired by my organization in 1983.
There are some 18,000 slides in the collection - images of regional
landscapes, flora, fauna, architecture. Almost all of the photographs were
taken by a single man. He was a local resident who retired from the Coast
Guard to a career in marine biology. He worked fairly closely with schools
in the area presenting slide shows on scientific subjects, organizing field
trips... seems to have had a wide circle of friends and to have been well-
respected in this community.

The dilemma? I came across two trays - probably 70-80 slides - today that
jump out at me as pedophilia. Photo after photo of little girls posed in...
well, compromising positions. At first I thought I must be imagining
things, but it became apparent pretty quickly that there was a pattern. I
won't go into too many details. He did make one or two notations that seem
to confirm my suspicions. What in the world am I going to do with these
slides?

What kinds of legal, ethical, and historical responsibilities do we need to
consider? I'm going to share these with my boss on Tuesday so she can make
whatever decisions need to be made, but I'd just like to have some
suggestions handy. Oh, I should mention that the photographer died 20 years
ago. The pictures were taken during the 1960s and early '70s and are all
labeled with the first and last name of the subject.

Any Advice All-Knowing Museumites?

Bethany S. Rutledge

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