Photography - Overview
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.
"Photography - Overview" showing 30 items.
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Framed Photograph of a Fig Tree
- Description (Brief)
- This photograph of a fig tree is one of forty-nine framed black and white photographic prints bequeathed to the Smithsonian by William F. Bucher of Washington, D.C Bucher, a cabinetmaker, framed each photograph in wood of the same species as the tree depicted in the print. The photos were displayed in a special exhibition, Our Trees and their Woods at the United States National Museum in 1931.
- The tree depicted in this photograph was located near E Street in Washington, D.C. and the image was made by Dr. Gould of the U.S. Dept of Agriculture. The frame has a fig wood veneer and chestnut back, with a glass bead of Andaman padauk and a black bead of rosewood.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1931
- photographer
- Dr Gould
- frame maker
- Bucher, William F.
- ID Number
- AG*124450.05
- accession number
- 124450
- catalog number
- AG*124450.05
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Framed Photograph of an Apple Tree
- Description (Brief)
- This photograph of an apple tree is one of forty-nine framed black and white photographic prints bequeathed to the Smithsonian by William F. Bucher of Washington, D.C. Bucher, a cabinetmaker, framed each photograph in wood of the same species as the tree depicted in the print. The photos were displayed in a special exhibition, Our Trees and their Woods at the United States National Museum in 1931.
- The tree depicted in this photograph was located in Washington, D.C., and the image was made by William Bucher. The frame is made of solid apple wood.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1927
- 1926
- frame maker
- Bucher, William F.
- photographer
- Bucher, William F.
- ID Number
- AG*115767.01
- catalog number
- AG*115767.01
- accession number
- 115767
- maker number
- 01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Framed Photograph of an Orange Grove
- Description (Brief)
- This photograph of an orange grove is one of forty-nine framed black and white photographic prints bequeathed to the Smithsonian by William F. Bucher of Washington, D.C. Bucher, a cabinetmaker, framed each photograph in wood of the same species as the tree depicted in the print. The photos were displayed in a special exhibition, Our Trees and their Woods at the United States National Museum in 1931.
- The tree depicted in this photograph was located in Florida and the image was made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The frame is made of quarter-inch Florida orange wood on chestnut, with a back bead of rosewood and a glass bead of African padauk.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1928
- frame maker
- Bucher, William F.
- photographer
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- ID Number
- AG*115767.06
- catalog number
- AG*115767.06
- accession number
- 115767
- maker number
- 6
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Framed Photograph of a Mahogany Grove
- Description (Brief)
- This photograph of a mahogany tree is one of forty-nine framed black and white photographic prints bequeathed to the Smithsonian by William F. Bucher of Washington, D.C. Bucher, a cabinetmaker, framed each photograph in wood of the same species as the tree depicted in the print. The photos were displayed in a special exhibition, Our Trees and their Woods at the United States National Museum in 1931.
- The tree depicted in this photograph was located in Valencia, Venezuela, and the image was taken by C.D. Mell. The frame is made of thin mahogany veneer on cypress. The back bead is walnut and the glass bead is satin wood.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1924
- photographer
- Mell, C. D.
- frame maker
- Bucher, William F.
- ID Number
- AG*115767.08
- catalog number
- AG*115767.08
- accession number
- 115767
- maker number
- 8
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Framed Photograph of a True Lignum Vital Tree
- Description (Brief)
- This photograph of a true lignum vital tree is one of forty-nine framed black and white photographic prints bequeathed to the Smithsonian by William F. Bucher of Washington, D.C. Bucher, a cabinetmaker, framed each photograph in wood of the same species as the tree depicted in the print. The photos were displayed in a special exhibition, Our Trees and their Woods at the United States National Museum in 1931.
- The tree depicted in this photograph was located in Trinidad and the image was made by C.D. Mell. The frame is made of lignum vitae on white pine.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1926
- frame maker
- Bucher, William F.
- photographer
- Mell, C. D.
- ID Number
- AG*115767.10
- catalog number
- AG*115767.10
- accession number
- 115767
- maker number
- 10
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Framed Illustration of “Snakewood”
- Description (Brief)
- This “snakewood” illustration is one of forty-nine framed black and white prints bequeathed to the Smithsonian by William F. Bucher of Washington, D.C. Bucher, a cabinetmaker, framed each photograph in wood of the same species as the tree depicted in the print. The photos were displayed in a special exhibition, Our Trees and their Woods at the United States National Museum in 1931.
- This illustration features an image of a man riding a horse. Both are encircled by a snake, and the snake’s tail is wrapped around a tree. The illustration is of unknown origin, but is meant to represent snakewood. The frame is made of snakewood on white pine, with a back bead of ebony and glass bead of satin wood.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1928
- photographer
- Mitchells Geography
- frame maker
- Bucher, William F.
- ID Number
- AG*115767.12
- catalog number
- AG*114767.12
- accession number
- 115767
- maker number
- 12
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Framed Photograph of English Oak Tree
- Description (Brief)
- This photograph of an English oak tree is one of forty-nine framed black and white photographic prints bequeathed to the Smithsonian by William F. Bucher of Washington, D.C. Bucher, a cabinetmaker, framed each photograph in wood of the same species as the tree depicted in the print. The photos were displayed in a special exhibition, Our Trees and their Woods at the United States National Museum in 1931.
- The tree depicted in this photograph was located in Danbury Park, in Essex, England and the image was made by E.N. Mason. The frame is made of English oak veneer on chestnut back.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1928
- frame maker
- Bucher, William F.
- photographer
- E. N. Mason
- ID Number
- AG*115767.20
- catalog number
- AG*115767.20
- accession number
- 115767
- maker number
- 23
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Framed Photograph of an Ash Burl Tree
- Description (Brief)
- This photograph of an ash burl tree is one of forty-nine framed black and white photographic prints bequeathed to the Smithsonian by William F. Bucher of Washington, D.C. Bucher, a cabinetmaker, framed each photograph in wood of the same species as the tree depicted in the print. The photos were displayed in a special exhibition, Our Trees and their Woods at the United States National Museum in 1931.
- The tree displayed in the photograph is a fallen ash burl tree, and there are five men and three horses posed behind the downed ash.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1926
- photographer
- Howard, Alexander L.
- frame maker
- Bucher, William F.
- ID Number
- AG*115767.23
- catalog number
- AG*115767.23
- accession number
- 115767
- maker number
- 26
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Framed Photograph of Elm Trees
- Description (Brief)
- This photograph of elm trees is one of forty-nine framed black and white photographic prints bequeathed to the Smithsonian by William F. Bucher of Washington, D.C. Bucher, a cabinetmaker, framed each photograph in wood of the same species as the tree depicted in the print. The photos were displayed in a special exhibition, Our Trees and their Woods at the United States National Museum in 1931.
- The trees depicted in this photograph are located in the Judiciary Square neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The image was made by William Bucher, as is the frame, which is made of solid elm wood.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1928
- frame maker
- Bucher, William F.
- photographer
- Bucher, William F.
- ID Number
- AG*115767.25
- catalog number
- AG*115767.25
- accession number
- 115767
- maker number
- 28
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Framed Photograph of a Honey Locust Tree
- Description (Brief)
- This photograph of a honey locust tree is one of forty-nine framed black and white photographic prints bequeathed to the Smithsonian by William F. Bucher of Washington, D.C. Bucher, a cabinetmaker, framed each photograph in wood of the same species as the tree depicted in the print. The photos were displayed in a special exhibition, Our Trees and their Woods at the United States National Museum in 1931.
- The tree depicted in this photograph was located at 14th and E Street Northwest, Washington, D.C., and the image was taken by William Bucher. The frame is made of honey locust veneer on white pine.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1927
- frame maker
- Bucher, William F.
- photographer
- Bucher, William F.
- ID Number
- AG*115767.26
- catalog number
- 115767.26
- accession number
- 115767
- maker number
- 29
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center