The New York Public Library will be closed from May 25 to May 27.
The primary means of searching the Photography Collection is by photographer’s name. Use this guide to view a list of photographers whose work is represented in the collection.
Locating Original Photographs
The primary means of searching the Photography Collection is by photographer’s name. Click here to view a list of photographers whose work is represented in the collection. Some of the Photography Collection’s images are available online via the NYPL Digital Gallery. The images in the NYPL Digital Gallery also can be searched by place, subject and genre.
Some of the larger photographic collections, such as the Robert N. Dennis Collection of Stereoscopic Views and the Romana Javitz Collection, have been cataloged by subject, photographic process and time period as well as by photographer. These collections can be accessed via CATNYP, the New York Public Library's on-line catalog. Many important collections are also accessible via albums of reproductions that can be viewed in the Prints and Photographs Study Room (Room 308).
The New York Public Library has long been known for its holdings of photographs of New York City. The Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy maintains an important file of archival photographs of the city dating from the 1870s to 1980. The bulk of the collection comprises photographs from the late 1920s through the 1940s, a period during which the Library commissioned Percy Loomis Sperr, a Staten Island photographer, to document changes in the city through a series of nearly 30,000 photographs. The Photography Collection has complementary holdings, including important collections of work by Lewis W. Hine and Berenice Abbott. Historically, the collection has been stronger in New York photographs from the first half of the century, particularly work associated with documentary and social movements, such as photographs made for the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project or by members of the New York Photo League (1936 –51).
Additional images held by The New York Public Library can be accessed via the Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection. The Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection is a picture resource that is comprised of 30,000 digitized images. These images include illustrations and photographs from books, magazines and newspapers. This collection is catalogued and is searchable by subject.
Researching photographs can be facilitated by consultation with the staff of the Photography Collection, during the hours of public service. Telephone reference service for brief queries is available at (212) 930-0837 or via FAX at (212) 930-0530. Written reference queries will be answered in the order received regardless of means of transmittal.
The department’s reference collection includes books and periodicals on photographers and the history of photography, exhibition catalogs, annuals, biographical dictionaries, resource guides, and selected technique handbooks. These volumes are accessible primarily through the Art & Architecture Collection and the General Research Division. Literature on photo-chemistry, optics, the imaging industry and advertising is held by the Science, Industry and Business Library. Works on photo-mechanical processes are held in the General Research Division. Most works are cataloged in CATNYP, the New York Public Library's on-line catalog.
Use the following links to obtain a list of reference materials on specific subjects:
Color Photography: A List of References in the New York Public Library / William Burt Gamble, ed. (New York: The Library, 1924) *Z-MFF p.v.57, no. 7
Photographica: A Subject Catalog of Books on Photography…Drawn from the Holdings of the New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations (Boston: G.K. Hall, 1984) *R-Photo 84-176
“Original Sun Pictures:’ A Checklist of the New York Public Library’s Holdings of Early Works Illustrated with Photographs.” / Julia Van Haaften in The Bulletin of The New York Public Library (80:3 Spring 1977) *R-Photo
Encyclopedia of 20th Century Photography / Lynne Warren, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2006) MFW 05-6948
The History of Photography from 1839 to the Present Day / Beaumont Newhall (New York: Musueum of Modern Art, 1982) MFW 86-4436
History of Women Photographers / Naomi Rosenblum (New York: Abbeville Press, 2000) *R-Photo 03-3877
A New History of Photography / Michel Frizot, ed. (Koln: 1998) *R-Photo 99-9144
Photography: A Cultural History / Mary Warner Marien (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2002) MFW+ 03-3081
A World History of Photography / Naomi Rosenblum (New York: Abbeville Press, 1997) *R-Art 04-4401
The Albumen and Salted Paper Book / James M. Reilly (Rochester, N.Y.: Light Impressions Corporation, 1980) MFW 81-800
Care and Identification of 19th-Century Photographic Prints / James M. Reilly (Rochester, N.Y.: Eastman Kodak Company, 1986) *R-Photo 88-3039
Encyclopedia of Printing, Photographic, and Photomechanical Processes: A Comprehensive Reference to Reproduction Technologies, Containing Invaluable Information on Over 1500 Processes / Luis Nadeau (Fredericton, Canada: Atelier Luis Nadeau, 1989-1990) *R-Photo 03-4863
A Guide to Early Photographic Processes / Brian Coe and Mark Haworth-Booth (London: Victoria and Albert Museum in association with Hurtwood Press, 1983) MFW+ 84-775
How to Identify Prints: A Complete Guide to Manual and Mechanical Processes From Woodcut to Ink Jet / Bamber Gascoigne (New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986) Desk-MDI 87-2309
The Keepers of Light: A History & Working Guide to Early Photographic Processes / William Crawford (Dobbs Ferry, NY: Morgan & Morgan, 1979) *R-Photo 80-3351
Looking at Photographs: A Guide to Technical Terms / Gordon Baldwin (Malibu: J. Paul Getty Museum in association with British Museum Press, 1991) *R-Art 91-9043
Photography: Processes, Preservation, and Conservation / Metropolitan Museum of Art (January 30-May 20, 2001)
Visual Communication and the Graphic Arts; Photographic Technologies in the Nineteenth Century / Estelle Jussim (New York: R.R. Bowker Co, 1974) MFW 95-10042
Contemporary Photographers / Martin Marix Evans, ed. (New York: St. James Press, 1995) MFW 96-17383
Encyclopedie Internationale des Photographies de 1839 a Nos Jours: Photographers Encyclopedia International, 1939 to the Present / Michel Auer and Michele Auer (Hermance, Switzerland: Editions Camera Obscura, 1985) *R-Photo 86-1715
Macmillan Biographical Encyclopedia of Photographic Artists & Innovators / Turner Browne and Elaine Partnow (New York: Macmillan, 1983) MFW 84-438
Photographers: A Sourcebook for Historical Research / Richard Rudisill (Brownsville, CA: C. Mautz, 1991) *R-Photo 92-26
Women in Photography International Archive
Color Photography: A List of References in the New York Public Library / William Burt Gamble, comp. (New York: The Library, 1924) *Z-MFF p.v.57, no. 7
History of Photography: A Bibliography of Books / Laurent Roosens and Luc Salu (London: Mansell, 1989) *R-Art 89-4304
Nineteenth-Century Photography: An Annotated Bibliography, 1839-1879 / William Johnson (Boston: G.K. Hall, 1990) *R-Photo 91-6379
Photographic Literature: An International Bibliographic Guide to General and Specialized Literature on Photographic Processes, Techniques, Theory, Chemistry, Physics, Apparatus, Materials and Applications, Industry, History, Biography, Aesthetics / Albert Boni (New York: Morgan & Morgan, 1962, 1972) *R-Photo 99-1947
Photographica: A Subject Catalog of Books on Photography…Drawn from the Holdings of the New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations (Boston: G.K. Hall, 1984) *R-Photo 84-176
Art and Photography / David Campany, ed. (London: Phaidon, 2003) MFW+ 03-5632
The Digital Evolution: Visual Communication in the Electronic Age: Essays, Lectures, and Interviews, 1967-1998 / A. D. Coleman (Tucson, AZ: Nazraeli Press, 1998) MFW 01-10615
Over Exposed: Essays on Contemporary Photography / Carol Squiers, ed. (New York: New Press, 1999) MFW 99-10250
The Photograph as Contemporary Art / Charlotte Cotton (London: Thames & Hudson, 2004) MFW 04-6453
The Photographic Image in Digital Culture / Martin Lister, ed. (London and New York: Routledge, 1995) MFW 95-12301
Periodicals are found throughout the Library, in almost every Division. CATNYP will tell you in which location you can find the title you are seeking, so take note of the Location Field when searching. Please note that a single periodical title might be housed in multiple locations, depending on the format. For instance, a single journal title may have current paper issues in Room 108, back issues on microfilm in Room 100 and bound volumes in Room 315.
Many photography-related periodicals are available through the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Reading Room (Room 108). Some photography journals are available in the Prints and Photographs Study Room (Room 308), including the following:
History of Photography – only the current issue is available in Room 308
The Photograph Collector
Gordon’s Print and Photography Auction Prices – available in electronic form
Camera Work: A Photographic Quarterly
Contains the Associated Press's current year's photo report and a selection of images from their vast negative and print library dating from the 1500s. more info
Availability: Branch Libraries; Humanities and Social Sciences Library; Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Science, Industry and Business Library; The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Digital Library Collections, NYPL
see NYPL Digital Library Collections
Photographers, collections, and exhibition catalogs can be searched in this extensive index. more info
Gordon's Photo Prices -- Only available in HSSL Rooms 300 and 308
International coverage of photographs sold at auction from 1985 to the present. more info
Availability: Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection (Room 300 at Humanities and Social Sciences Library); Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection (Room 308 at Humanities and Social Sciences Library)
Museum of the City of New York: Byron Collection
This database consists of over 22,000 photographs of New York City and its environs taken by the Byron Company between 1890 and 1942. more info
Images of New York City from the NYPL Digital Gallery, a free resource of images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of the Library. This link goes directly to image collections of New York City from the Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy. more info
Provides access to over 450,000 images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public Library, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints and photographs, illustrated books, printed ephemera, and more. more info
NYPL Digital Library Collections
Gateway to The New York Public Library’s rare and unique collections in digitized form. more info
Picture Collection Online, NYPL Mid-Manhattan Library
A collection of 30,000 digitized images from books, magazines and newspapers as well as original photographs, prints and postcards, mostly created before 1923. more info
Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC)
The Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division’s catalog to about 65% of the Division's holdings. Many of the catalog records are accompanied by digital images--about one million digital images in all. more info
Shadows (1826). NYPL Art and Architecture Collection.
One of 700,000 pictures in the NYPL Digital Gallery
