Photography

The millions of photographs in the Museum's collections compose a vast mosaic of the nation's history. Photographs accompany most artifact collections. Thousands of images document engineering projects, for example, and more record the steel, petroleum, and railroad industries.

Some 150,000 images capture the history, art, and science of photography. Nineteenth-century photography, from its initial development by W. H. F. Talbot and Louis Daguerre, is especially well represented and includes cased images, paper photographs, and apparatus. Glass stereographs and news-service negatives by the Underwood & Underwood firm document life in America between the 1890s and the 1930s. The history of amateur photography and photojournalism are preserved here, along with the work of 20th-century masters such as Richard Avedon and Edward Weston. Thousands of cameras and other equipment represent the technical and business side of the field.

In "The Wizard of Oz", Dorothy's journey from Kansas to Oz is symbolized by a shift from black and white to Technicolor.
Description
In "The Wizard of Oz", Dorothy's journey from Kansas to Oz is symbolized by a shift from black and white to Technicolor. This camera was one of several used to film the Oz scenes.
Invented in 1932, the Technicolor camera recorded on three separate negatives--red, blue and green--which were then combined to develop a full-color positive print. The box encasing the camera, a "blimp," muffled the machine's sound during filming.
The Early Color Cinema Equipment Collection [COLL.PHOTOS.000039] includes equipment, media and ephemera related to color motion pictures from the birth of the cinema to the mid twentieth century. This collection is comprised of 5 motion picture cameras, 3 movie projectors, more than 34 pieces of editing and other apparatus, more than 60 pieces of early color film and two notebooks illustrating the Technicolor process.
Reproducing natural color on film had been an industry goal since the earliest days of motion picture production, but it took several decades to perfect a technology for making movies in color. Motion picture directors often toned or hand-tinted monochromatic film in the industry’s early days to add life and emotion to their productions. Though movie producers continued to use toning and tinting, these costly and inefficient processes could never produce the full range of color that movie cameras failed to record. Therefore, innovators increasingly focused on the use of color filters during capture and projection to reproduce color detail.
Danish-American inventor August Plahn built and patented a camera and projector that split motion picture images through three color lenses using 70mm film. When the film, with three images printed across its width, was projected through the same colored filters, movies’ natural color was restored. The collection includes forty five short lengths of processed film and documents related to Plahn’s work as well as one camera, three projector heads and over seventy-five pieces of apparatus used by the engineer.
While Plahn had little success marketing his inventions, the Boston-based Technicolor Corporation effectively marketed their similar technology to become the industry standard. The color cinema collection includes four Technicolor cameras as well as over twenty-five pieces of equipment related to the Technicolor process and a book of photographs illustrating Technicolor film processing in a train car.
The Society of Motion Picture Engineers, the industry’s leading trade group, donated examples of a number of other early color film technologies, including Prizma, Kelley-line screen, Krayn Screen, Naturalcolor, Multicolor and Morgana color processes.
This finding aid is one in a series documenting the PHC’s Early Cinema Collection [COLL.PHOTOS.000018]. The cinema-related objects cover the range of technological innovation and popular appeal that defined the motion picture industry during a period in which it became the premier form of mass communication in American life, roughly 1885-1930. See also finding aids for Early Sound Cinema [COLL.PHOTOS.000040], Early Cinema Equipment [COLL.PHOTOS.000037], Early Cinema Film and Ephemera [COLL.PHOTOS.000038] and the Gatewood Dunston Collection [COLL.PHOTOS.000021].
Location
Currently not on view (running boards)
date made
1937
maker
Technicolor Corporation
ID Number
PG.008166
catalog number
8166
maker number
Patent No: 2,000,058
accession number
260112
From the photographer, handwritten on verso of the photographer: "Spc. Robert Acosta, 20, an ammunitions specialists with the 1st Armored Division, was wounded July 13, 2003 near Baghdad International Airport when a grenade was thrown into his vehicle and exploded.
Description (Brief)
From the photographer, handwritten on verso of the photographer: "Spc. Robert Acosta, 20, an ammunitions specialists with the 1st Armored Division, was wounded July 13, 2003 near Baghdad International Airport when a grenade was thrown into his vehicle and exploded. He lost his right hand and the use of his left leg. / Photographed at his home in Santa Ana, California April 12, 2004 / From the Purple Hearts series"
Location
Currently not on view
date printed
2021
date made
2004-04-12
maker
Berman, Nina
ID Number
2021.0057.0001
accession number
2021.0057
catalog number
2021.0057.0001
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1969
maker
Powers, Mark James
ID Number
2013.0222.32
catalog number
2013.0222.32
accession number
2013.0222
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970
maker
Powers, Mark James
ID Number
2013.0222.36
catalog number
2013.0222.36
accession number
2013.0222
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1974-06-29
maker
Associated Press
ID Number
2013.0327.0857
accession number
2013.0327
catalog number
2013.0327.0857
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1932
maker
Lange, Dorothea
ID Number
PG.71.64.03
accession number
2003.0160
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1898
publisher
Underwood & Underwood Illustration Studios
maker
Strohmeyer & Wyman
ID Number
2006.0142.21
accession number
2006.0142
catalog number
2006.0142.21
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1952
maker
Lange, Dorothea
ID Number
PG.71.64.15
accession number
2003.0160
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1938
maker
Lange, Dorothea
ID Number
PG.71.64.04
accession number
2003.0160
Pigment print of Bob Weingarten's portrait of Alvin Toffler from his "Portraits Without People" series.
Description
Pigment print of Bob Weingarten's portrait of Alvin Toffler from his "Portraits Without People" series. Central image of American flag; other elements of the composite image include book shelves, row of books, bathroom sink, cover of "Future Shock" by Alvin Toffler, poster of space shuttle and space station, and an abstract painting with a blue dot and black swipe. "RW" blindstamp, "AP" and signed by photographer along bottom edge.
represented
Toffler, Alvin
maker
Weingarten, Robert I.
ID Number
2007.0170.04
accession number
2007.0170
catalog number
2007.0170.04
Mounted gelatin silver print of Edward Weston's Civilian Defense, 1942. The photograph was printed by Edward's son Cole Weston from his father's original negative.Edward Weston was influential in the modern photography movement beginning in the 1930s.
Description (Brief)
Mounted gelatin silver print of Edward Weston's Civilian Defense, 1942. The photograph was printed by Edward's son Cole Weston from his father's original negative.
Edward Weston was influential in the modern photography movement beginning in the 1930s. He is well known for photographing the natural surroundings of his home on the California coast. Weston created striking works of art, some abstract, some more traditional images. A leader in American photography of the 20th century, Weston's prints were first exhibited at the Smithsonian in 1947. Afterwards, he remained interested in the national photography collection. At times, Weston recommended photographers to curators for collecting opportunities, and eventually donated a selection of his work and several cameras to the Photographic History Collection.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1942
maker - negative
Weston, Edward
maker - print
Weston, Cole
ID Number
PG.69.137.11
catalog number
69.137.11
accession number
288850
Working on assignment, Henry Horenstein photographed EmmyLou Harris (b. 1947) at her home. In the 1970s, Harris represented the generation of musicians who were influenced by traditional country, rock, and folk music.
Description
Working on assignment, Henry Horenstein photographed EmmyLou Harris (b. 1947) at her home. In the 1970s, Harris represented the generation of musicians who were influenced by traditional country, rock, and folk music. Over the years, Harris has had a profound impact on contemporary popular and country music.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1980
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.034
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.034
With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture.
Description
With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture. She recorded this unconventional time of Anti-War demonstrations in California, communes, Love-Ins, peace marches and concerts, as well as her family life as she became a wife and mother. The photographs were collected by William Yeingst and Shannon Perich in a cross-unit collecting collaboration. Together they selected over two hundred photographs relevant to photographic history, cultural history, domestic life and social history.
Law’s portraiture and concert photographs include Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Lovin Spoonful and Peter, Paul and Mary. She also took several of Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, including the photograph used to create the poster included in the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum’s exhibition 1001 Days and Nights in American Art. Law and other members of the Hog Farm were involved in the logistics of setting up the well-known musical extravaganza, Woodstock. Her photographs include the teepee poles going into the hold of the plane, a few concert scenes and amenities like the kitchen and medical tent. Other photographs include peace rallies and concerts in Haight-Ashbury, Coretta Scott King speaking at an Anti-War protest and portraits of Allen Ginsburg and Timothy Leary. From her life in New Mexico the photographs include yoga sessions with Yogi Bhajan, bus races, parades and other public events. From life on the New Buffalo Commune, there are many pictures of her family and friends taken during meal preparation and eating, farming, building, playing, giving birth and caring for children.
Ms. Law did not realize how important her photographs were while she was taking them. It was not until after she divorced her husband, left the farm for Santa Fe and began a career as a photographer that she realized the depth of history she recorded. Today, she spends her time writing books, showing her photographs in museums all over the United States and making documentaries. In 1990, her video documentary, “Flashing on the Sixties,” won several awards.
A selection of photographs was featured in the exhibition A Visual Journey: Photographs by Lisa Law, 1964–1971, at the National Museum of American History October 1998-April 1999.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1967
date printed
1998
maker
Law, Lisa
ID Number
1998.0139.054
catalog number
1998.0139.054
accession number
1998.0139
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2009-11-13
maker
Kunin, Claudia
ID Number
2010.0034.01.06
catalog number
2010.0034.01.06
accession number
2010.0034
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Garrod, Richard
ID Number
PG.69.76.04
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1944-1945
ID Number
2013.0327.1158
accession number
2013.0327
catalog number
2013.0327.1158
With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture.
Description
With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture. She recorded this unconventional time of Anti-War demonstrations in California, communes, Love-Ins, peace marches and concerts, as well as her family life as she became a wife and mother. The photographs were collected by William Yeingst and Shannon Perich in a cross-unit collecting collaboration. Together they selected over two hundred photographs relevant to photographic history, cultural history, domestic life and social history.
Law’s portraiture and concert photographs include Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Lovin Spoonful and Peter, Paul and Mary. She also took several of Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, including the photograph used to create the poster included in the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum’s exhibition 1001 Days and Nights in American Art. Law and other members of the Hog Farm were involved in the logistics of setting up the well-known musical extravaganza, Woodstock. Her photographs include the teepee poles going into the hold of the plane, a few concert scenes and amenities like the kitchen and medical tent. Other photographs include peace rallies and concerts in Haight-Ashbury, Coretta Scott King speaking at an Anti-War protest and portraits of Allen Ginsburg and Timothy Leary. From her life in New Mexico the photographs include yoga sessions with Yogi Bhajan, bus races, parades and other public events. From life on the New Buffalo Commune, there are many pictures of her family and friends taken during meal preparation and eating, farming, building, playing, giving birth and caring for children.
Ms. Law did not realize how important her photographs were while she was taking them. It was not until after she divorced her husband, left the farm for Santa Fe and began a career as a photographer that she realized the depth of history she recorded. Today, she spends her time writing books, showing her photographs in museums all over the United States and making documentaries. In 1990, her video documentary, “Flashing on the Sixties,” won several awards.
A selection of photographs was featured in the exhibition A Visual Journey: Photographs by Lisa Law, 1964–1971, at the National Museum of American History October 1998-April 1999.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965
date printed
1997
maker
Law, Lisa
ID Number
1998.0139.028
catalog number
1998.0139.028
accession number
1998.0139
In 1959 Mydans photographed Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on his visit to the United States. During his stay, Khrushchev visited the Twentieth Century Fox studios during the filming of the movie Can-Can. Khrushchev came on the set with his wife, bodyguards, politicians, U.S.
Description
In 1959 Mydans photographed Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on his visit to the United States. During his stay, Khrushchev visited the Twentieth Century Fox studios during the filming of the movie Can-Can. Khrushchev came on the set with his wife, bodyguards, politicians, U.S. officials, and studio heads who ordered the dancers to perform an entire can-can number for the elite guests.
The film, starring Shirley MacLaine, received worldwide publicity because of Khrushchev's visit. The next day's newspapers carried an interesting quote from him. When asked what he thought of Can-Can, he replied, "The face of humanity is prettier than its backside."
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1959
photographer
Mydans, Carl
ID Number
2005.0228.154
accession number
2005.0228
catalog number
2005.0228.154
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
Oct 2009
date printed
Jan 2010
maker
Kunin, Claudia
ID Number
2010.0034.04
catalog number
2010.0034.04
accession number
2010.0034
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972
maker
Powers, Mark James
ID Number
2013.0222.43
catalog number
2013.0222.43
accession number
2013.0222
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
maker
Chicago Albumen Works
ID Number
PG.78.03.iv
accession number
1978.1031
catalog number
78.3.iv
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Garrod, Richard
ID Number
PG.69.75.03
accession number
288842
catalog number
69.75.03
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970
maker
Powers, Mark James
ID Number
2013.0222.12
catalog number
2013.0222.12
accession number
2013.0222
Pigment print of Bob Weingarten's portrait of Carl Lewis from his "Portraits without People" series.
Description
Pigment print of Bob Weingarten's portrait of Carl Lewis from his "Portraits without People" series. Elements include ten Olympic medals, entrance to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a bust sculpture of an African woman, and a quote from Sri Chinmoy - "In the outer consciousness, you have already established something immortal. Now you must do the same in the inner consciousness with your heart's cry for mankind and your life's love for mankind." Central figure is a crystal turtle. Background image is the gymnasium in Lewis' home with Bodymasters equipment. "RW" blindstamp, "AP" and signed by photographer along bottom edge.
date made
2009
producer
Weingarten, Robert I.
maker
Weingarten, Robert I.
ID Number
2008.0179.01
accession number
2008.0179
catalog number
2008.0179.01

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