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.

Photograph: A guard armed with a rubber truncheon hurries a line of braceros along at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A guard armed with a rubber truncheon hurries a line of braceros along at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.07.25
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.07.25
Photograph: Braceros sit with suitcases and other belongings under a tree in Stockton, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros sit with suitcases and other belongings under a tree in Stockton, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.39.37
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.39.37
Photograph: Braceros are served food in a dining hall at a camp in California.
Description
Photograph: Braceros are served food in a dining hall at a camp in California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.47.23
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.47.23
Photograph: Braceros receive paychecks from an official in Stockton, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros receive paychecks from an official in Stockton, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.39.21
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.39.21
Photograph: Braceros pick lettuce and place it in boxes in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros pick lettuce and place it in boxes in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.34.29
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.34.29
Photograph: A nurse takes a bracero's temperature while others sit in a waiting room at the clinical practice of Dr. Stanley Savoy in the Salinas Valley, California.
Description
Photograph: A nurse takes a bracero's temperature while others sit in a waiting room at the clinical practice of Dr. Stanley Savoy in the Salinas Valley, California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.47.11
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.47.11
Photograph: Braceros dictate information to clerk typists during processing at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Description
Photograph: Braceros dictate information to clerk typists during processing at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.13.23
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.13.23
Photograph: Braceros crowd around the side of the San Jaoquin County Farm Production Association building in Stockton, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros crowd around the side of the San Jaoquin County Farm Production Association building in Stockton, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.24.09
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.24.09
Photograph: Viewed from a street, the Los Gatitos cafe stands beside a growers association office in Watsonville, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Viewed from a street, the Los Gatitos cafe stands beside a growers association office in Watsonville, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.27.11
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.27.11
Photograph: Braceros cross the Mexico-U.S. border while walking over the Reynosa-Hidalgo bridge.
Description
Photograph: Braceros cross the Mexico-U.S. border while walking over the Reynosa-Hidalgo bridge.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.05.03
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.05.03
Photograph: Braceros talk to an official in an office, Mexico City, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros talk to an official in an office, Mexico City, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.08.20
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.08.20
Photograph: A bracero sits on his bed in a living quarter at a camp in California.
Description
Photograph: A bracero sits on his bed in a living quarter at a camp in California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.22.30
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.22.30
Photograph: A bracero does his laundry in a bathroom at a camp in California.
Description
Photograph: A bracero does his laundry in a bathroom at a camp in California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.41.16
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.41.16
Photograph: A bracero leans against a barbed wire fence as he waits to be processed at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero leans against a barbed wire fence as he waits to be processed at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.06.30
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.06.30
Photograph: Bunk beds fill a living quarter at a bracero camp in a California.
Description
Photograph: Bunk beds fill a living quarter at a bracero camp in a California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.46.34
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.46.34
Photograph: A bracero picks lettuce in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero picks lettuce in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.37.42
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.37.42
Photograph: Braceros stand in line as others wait to be processed at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros stand in line as others wait to be processed at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.11.07
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.11.07
Photograph: A bracero sits outside a living quarter at a camp in the Western United States.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero sits outside a living quarter at a camp in the Western United States.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.30.18
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.30.18
Photograph: An agent for the Texas growers association examines a bracero's musculature at the Hidalgo Processing Center, Texas, as a uniformed official looks on.
Description
Photograph: An agent for the Texas growers association examines a bracero's musculature at the Hidalgo Processing Center, Texas, as a uniformed official looks on.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.02.33
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.02.33
Photograph: In Mexico City, Mexico, braceros wait in front of an official building to apply for farm work in the United States.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: In Mexico City, Mexico, braceros wait in front of an official building to apply for farm work in the United States.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.15.07
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.15.07
Photograph: A water spigot stands outside at a camp in Tracy, California.
Description
Photograph: A water spigot stands outside at a camp in Tracy, California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.23.28
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.23.28
Photograph: A bracero washes his clothes at a camp in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero washes his clothes at a camp in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.32.15
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.32.15
Photograph: Braceros stand with their backs to the wall and stretch while an official examines their figures at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros stand with their backs to the wall and stretch while an official examines their figures at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.17.08
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.17.08
Photograph: A grower and a growers association field representative look over a group of braceros working in an onion field in the Salinas Valley, California.
Description
Photograph: A grower and a growers association field representative look over a group of braceros working in an onion field in the Salinas Valley, California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.31.17
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.31.17

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