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Humanities and Social Sciences Library > Collections & Reading Rooms > Photography Collection About the CollectionThe Photography Collection of the New York Public Library comprises approximately 400,000 photographs, including examples of almost every photographic process from the earliest daguerreotypes to contemporary digital images. The Photography Collection was developed in 1980 when images culled from other NYPL departments and branches were brought together to form a new division. The historically stated focus of the collection has been “documentary photography,” a term originally coined in the 1930s to describe the work of photographers who attempted to document specific social conditions. The Photography Collection, which has significant holdings in this area, actually encompasses a much broader range of the medium, including images made for commercial, industrial, and scientific application as well as images for the press and other print media, the vernacular of amateur snapshot photography and original works intended for exhibition and/or the art market. Future collection activity and development will focus on fulfilling the department’s role as the most accessible public resource in New York City for the study of photographs and the history of photography. Highlights of the CollectionThe rarity and quality of many of the images set the collection apart from other historical archives, whereas its diversity distinguishes it from the majority of museum collections. Collection Strengths and Highlights:
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