Photograph Collection

The Photograph Collection consists of over one million black-and-white prints and negatives, color transparencies and slides. This includes a collection of over 40,000 lantern slides that were once used for lectures and loaned to New York City schools. In addition, the photographic print collection includes over 900 collections of vintage photographic prints, totaling approximately 140,000 individual photographs. The images document scientific work worldwide in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, astronomy, geology, paleontology, and zoology. There are photographs from every continent on earth and photographs of the stars. The collection also documents the history of the Museum, Museum staff at work, scientists in the field and in the laboratory, and permanent and temporary exhibitions. It includes images of objects and specimens from the Museum collections as well as illustrations from the Library's Rare Book Collection. The earliest negatives date from the late 1800's.

The Library has recently launched a small web exhibit called, Picturing the Museum: Education and Exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History. This is the first manifestation of an image database that will, in time, reference our entire photographic collection of photographic images. 

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Negatives

The Photographic Negative Collection
The Photographic Negative Collection consists of nearly one million black-and-white negatives, in formats ranging from 35mm to 11 X 14 inches.

The Photographic Negative Collection - Search Tools
 Prints corresponding to many of these negatives are arranged in file drawers for in-person browsing.

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Prints

Photographic Print Collection
The Photographic Print Collection includes over 900 collections of vintage, mostly black and white photographic prints, totaling more than 125,000 individual photographs. Negatives for some of these prints are in the Photographic Negative Collection.

The collection also includes 52 scrapbooks that were created in various Museum departments.  Most of this material is not represented in the Negative Collections.

Photographic Print Collection – Search Tools
The most recent survey of the Photographic Print Collection can be found under Inventories on our Search for Collections page.  There is also a List of Personal Papers, Manuscripts, and Photographic Print Collections; as many collections were deposited along with photographic prints, these two collections are listed together. For information regarding the scrapbooks, please contact Special Collections.

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Transparencies

Large Format Transparencies
Over 9,000 color transparencies document Museum artifacts, art, rare books, and Museum exhibits.

Large Format Transparencies – Search Tools
Copies of the Large Format Transparencies (or prints of these images) are arranged in file drawers for in-person browsing.

Lantern Slides
The collection of over 40,000 colored and uncolored lantern slides that were once used for lectures and circulated to New York City Public Schools. The subject area is broad covering natural history and travel.

Lantern Slides – Search Tools
Library staff have access to a local database. For information regarding the slide collections, please contact Special Collections.

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35mm Color Slides

Slide Collections
There are over 600 named slide collections, comprised of over 150,000 35mm color slides. These collections detail Museum exhibitions, expeditions, staff research, and travel.

Slide Collections– Search Tools
The most recent survey of the Slide Collections can be found under Inventories on our Search for Collections page.

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Other Resources for Photographs

Museum Scientific Departments
Many of the Scientific Departments administer their own photographic print collections as part of their archives. The Divisions of Anthropology, Paleontology and Vertebrate Zoology have extensive photographic print collections.  Go to http://research.amnh.org for links to each department's site and contact information. Contact the specific department to inquire about their photographic print collections.

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Inquiries and Access Policies

Please refer to our Researching Special Collections page for detail about Inquiries and Access Policies.

Obtaining Photographic Images

Please refer to our Obtaining Photographic Images page for details about services we provide and associated fees.

Permission and Licensing Services

Please refer to our Permission & Licensing Services page for details about services we provide and associated fees.