A lot of museums base their reproduction fees similar the Chicago History Museum: http://www.chicagohistory.org/documents/research/rightsandrepro/CHM-RightsReproFees.pdf
When speaking with a museum you need to know exact details that you will need for permission and production fees. You are entering into a licensing agreement. You need to know size, length of time for publication, etc. Have your ducks in a row before talking with them. The people in this department are very busy and used to working with big production agencies and publishers. Part of my internship at the Valentine Museum was in this department shadowing the curator. I learned a lot. Many museums are licensing for reproductions of their collections. Don't expect them to give it away. Generally museums make more money through their collections reproduction rights than visitors' admission fees. I strongly suggest that it you go to a museum and photograph with the intention of publishing on paper or the web to obtain written permission from the museum. Just asking permission from a docent is not binding. Make an appointment with the curator or marketing dept. to photograph is standard practice. It is very difficult to obtain permission if you just show up on location without advance notice. Most museum's want more than a week or two notice. Penny Ladnier Owner, The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com 14 websites of fashion, textiles, & costume history _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
