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Photographs

Experience the visual history of Kansas through our still photograph collection

Photo of man taking photoWe have a collection of more than 500,000 photographs covering a variety of subjects. The collection visually represents Kansas and Kansans from the 1850s to the present. Much of the collection is arranged by location, subject, and individual contained in our photograph cataloging system. There are collections of photographs taken by renowned photographers, such as Alexander Gardner, Albert Bierstadt, L. W. Halbe, Henry L. Wolf, J. Carbutt, and Alfred Lawrence. Our collection contains significant holdings of photographs relating to agriculture, military, Native Americans, railroads, cattle industry, bands, and settlement.

Over the years our photographs have been cataloged in a variety of ways. The card catalogs in the library reference room are the only complete index to the photograph collection. Some collections have records in our online catalog and selected photographs from the collection have been digitized for Kansas Memory.  You can also check our guides and finding aids page for guides to a few of the photograph collections. Please contact the reference staff for help finding photos or ordering copies. Reproductions of photographs can be ordered for a reasonable fee.