The project consists of an index of this documentation as it survives in the listings of the journals La Bibliographie de la France (1811-1880) and its predecessor Le Journal général de l’Imprimerie (1810-1811) – to this database of approximately 100,00 listings, will soon be added a transcription of the hitherto unpublished listings of the dépôt légal de l’estampe from 1793 to1811, the registers of legal deposit which were maintained by the Print Department of the Bibliothèque nationale/impérale (app. 2000 listings).

The project does not contain images of the prints and photographs, themselves – but only their titles, the date of their listing and, very often, an indication of their responsible personnel–artists, printers and distributors. In accordance with law, however, copies of these works were filed in the collections of the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, where they may be found today.

As an addendum to this record of the publication of prints and photographs, the Image of France includes a transcription of the official registers of prints and photographs which were refused authorization for publication in France, pursuant to legislation of 1822, renewed in 1835 and 1853 -- and abolished in 1881.