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.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1971
maker
Snyder, Joel
ID Number
PG.71.120.10
catalog number
71.120.10
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
ca 1972
referenced
Mueller, Frederick W.
maker
National Museum of American History
ID Number
1986.0711.0511
catalog number
1986.0711.0511
accession number
1986.0711
maker number
SP-64-67w
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1972
referenced
Mueller, Frederick W.
maker
National Museum of American History
ID Number
1986.0711.0516
catalog number
1986.0711.0516
accession number
1986.0711
maker number
SP-64-67z
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
1974-12
depicted (sitter)
King, Billie Jean
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.104
catalog number
2014.0112.104
accession number
2014.0112
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1971
maker
Farber, Daniel
ID Number
PG.71.116.04
catalog number
71.116.4
Pearl Butler accepts a song request from a young fan. Pearl (1927-1998) and Carl Butler (1927-1992) were part of the honky-tonk and bluegrass music movements before World War II.
Description
Pearl Butler accepts a song request from a young fan. Pearl (1927-1998) and Carl Butler (1927-1992) were part of the honky-tonk and bluegrass music movements before World War II. After their 1962 hit, "Don't Let Me Cross Over," the Butlers became one of the most popular male-female vocal teams in country music.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.076
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.076
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1950s-1970s
ID Number
2013.0327.1311
accession number
2013.0327
catalog number
2013.0327.1311
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1972
referenced
Mueller, Frederick W.
maker
Mueller, Frederick W.
ID Number
1986.0711.0424
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0424
maker number
SP-64-67d
Henry Horenstein photographed Hank Williams Jr., the son of legendary singer Hank Williams, leaving his tour bus. Williams Jr. (b. 1949) spent his early career singing his father's songs in his own style.
Description
Henry Horenstein photographed Hank Williams Jr., the son of legendary singer Hank Williams, leaving his tour bus. Williams Jr. (b. 1949) spent his early career singing his father's songs in his own style. After a 1974 suicide attempt and a mountain climbing accident in 1975, he revamped his own image, modeling it after rowdy southern rockers. Later he was considered part of the Outlaw Country Movement.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.074
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.074
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
At Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, musicians could hang out, perform and hope for a chance to be discovered.Currently not on view
Description
At Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, musicians could hang out, perform and hope for a chance to be discovered.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1974
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.111
catalog number
2003.0169.111
accession number
2003.0169
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970
maker
Harbutt, Charles
ID Number
PG.72.14.052
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
date made
1973-12
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.411
catalog number
2014.0112.411
accession number
2014.0112
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
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975
maker
Kossoy, Boris
ID Number
PG.76.39.11
accession number
322604
catalog number
76.39.11
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970-10
maker
Faul, Jan W.
ID Number
PG.70.22.14
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1972
referenced
Mueller, Frederick W.
maker
National Museum of American History
ID Number
1986.0711.0524
catalog number
1986.0711.0524
accession number
1986.0711
maker number
SP-64-67v
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1972
referenced
Mueller, Frederick W.
maker
National Museum of American History
ID Number
1986.0711.0489
catalog number
1986.0711.0489
accession number
1986.0711
maker number
SP-64-66a
real photo postcard; exterior; large group photograph of thirty-nine (39) men, women,children and babies posed in three rows of people posing in front of a wooden clapboard wall with window. Dog and cat maybe included.
Description (Brief)
real photo postcard; exterior; large group photograph of thirty-nine (39) men, women,children and babies posed in three rows of people posing in front of a wooden clapboard wall with window. Dog and cat maybe included. One man may be wearing a folded newspaper hat?
Historical real photo postcard from 1910s sent from Richard Avedon to J. Ross Baughman in 1979. During this time Avedon was working on his "American West" series.
Hand-written text on verso: Ross working in the copper mines-strange, powerful, beautiful town. Best, Dick.
Sent to: Ross Baughman
Postmark: Butte, MT (?) Aug 24 1979.
Postal stamp: purple stamp, "People's Right to Petition for Redress USA 10c"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1979
associated date
1979-08-24
referenced
Avedon, Richard
maker
unknown
ID Number
2010.0231.06.01
catalog number
2010.0231.06.01
accession number
2010.0231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975-05-06
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.122
catalog number
2014.0112.122
accession number
2014.0112
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
maker
Chicago Albumen Works
ID Number
PG.78.03.ii
accession number
1978.1031
catalog number
78.3.ii

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