The extensive and often lavish use of photographs in 'The Capuchin Annual' set the publication apart from many other periodicals of the time. Photography in the 'Annual' served a very clear purpose – it projected an idealised image of Ireland to its wide readership in a way that was arguably more effective than any prose. In the early years, scenic views such as ‘Evening in Dublin’ or ‘Killiney Bay’ would appear randomly, but in later years photographic features became far more extensive. The 'Annual’s' photographic archive is particularly rich and constitutes a valuable pictorial record of life in Ireland in the twentieth century.
The section includes a small collection of records relating to the Association of Patrons of 'The Capuchin Annual' (APCA). The Association was founded in 1944 with the goal of raising money to support the continued production of the publication. Both Irish and international subscribers to the APCA were provided with copies of the 'Annual' and 'The Father Mathew Record' in return for their financial support. Lists of APCA subscribers were printed in various editions of the 'Annual'. By 1967 it was noted that the APCA had become the ‘mainstay of the "Annual’s" sales organization’.
This section includes records relating to the financial and business affairs of the Capuchin Publications Office. The files include orders and receipts, account books and journals, associated with the printing and publishing of the 'Annual'.
The sub-series contains a select collection of publications formerly held by the editors of 'The Capuchin Annual' in the Publications Office. It is probable that many books, periodicals and journals were transferred to the Provincial Library in the Capuchin Friary on Church Street. Many others may have been discarded.
A collection of newspaper clippings and articles assembled by the editors of 'The Capuchin Annual'. Some of the clippings relate to the roles played by various Capuchin friars in events associated with the Irish Revolution. Other newspaper and magazine clippings include articles reviewing and critiquing various editions of the 'Annual'.
A very large collection of metal stereotypes and photoengraving plates (most of which are mounted on wooden blocks) used for printing purposes for 'The Capuchin Annual'. Photoengraving was a process used in preparing illustrations for printing by transferring images to metal plates by a combination of photography and acid etching. Photoengraving was widely used in making plates for various printing processes, reproducing a wide variety of graphics such as lettering, line drawings and photographs. A stereotype consisted of engravings from a drawing or from an illustration. If required, duplicate stereotypes could be set beside text composed on a linotype machine and headings in hand-set type. Photoengraving plates and stereotype blocks were frequently mass-produced for advertisements and were sent to various printers, newspapers and publishers. These photoengraving plates and stereotype blocks were transferred (many still extant in filing cabinets) to archival storage following the closure of the Capuchin Publications Office in 1977. Many of the plates and blocks are numbered but only a few have identifying captions or annotations.
