The photographic collections of the Clements Library document the cultural and historical dimensions of American photography from its earliest days in the 1840s through the present. Rather than representing solely the fine art tradition in photographic practice, the Currier-McCombs Division actively seeks out the work of amateur and professional practitioners. The collections are particularly valuable for researchers pursuing the study of American visual culture and self-representation, but also for those seeking graphic documentation of American lives and landscapes.

Since its founding in 1991, the Library's Photographic Division has grown to over 70,000 images, and now includes several hundred photograph albums, photographic books, reference works, and related materials. In December, 1997, the Division was renamed in honor of two patrons of the Library, Frederick Currier and Amy McCombs, whose generous donations have contributed to shaping and refining the scope of the Division.

While the collections are diverse in nature, the following areas are points of particular collecting emphasis:

• American portraiture
• The impact of War
• 19th century fairs and expositions
• Interiors and domestic architecture
• American landscape and cityscape
• Tourism, travel, and Americans abroad
• Photographically-illustrated books
• Vernacular and family photography

Major 19th century photographers represented in the collection include George N. Barnard, Félice Beato, Mathew Brady, Francis Frith, Alexander Gardner, William Henry Jackson, John Moran, Eadweard Muybridge, Timothy O'Sullivan, John Plumbe, A. J. Russell, Charles R. Savage, Carleton Watkins, and George Washington Wilson. The 20th century holdings include representative works by influential photographers from Alvin Langdon Coburn, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, and Eugene Smith, to Marilyn Bridges, Marion Post Wolcott, and Weegee. Contemporary photographers are represented less comprehensively, however the collections include Patrick Nagatani's highly important portfolio of images reflecting upon the Japanese-American internment camps of the Second World War.

Personal photograph albums have been a collecting interest at the Clements since the founding of the Division. While the majority of photograph albums are produced by an individual or family within a domestic setting, depicting home life and personal relations, others reflect very diverse contexts. Soldiers and sailors, travelers and tourists, corporations, and cultural and civic organizations are all represented by photo albums at the Library.

The Clements actively seeks donations of photographs of historical value, including family photograph albums, images of vacations, homes, places of work, and daily life. Donations are fully tax deductible and are of immeasurable benefit to the Library and the historical community -- they are the life-blood of the Library. Please contact the Curator of Photography for further information.

Selected images from the collections

Reference inquiries

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