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Sources of U.S. Military Images: Major Repositories

PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION


Jump to: General Sources (multiple military branches) | Army | Coast Guard | Navy | Air Force and Military Aviation


The Library's collections contain many U.S. military images. However, they generally are not well indexed by military units, type of vehicle, or name of ship. An extensive search might uncover images of interest, but such a search would need to conducted in-person by the researcher or his/her representative. The institutions listed below have specialized collections of military images which are generally well indexed.

General Sources

The following repositories include holdings from multiple branches of the military:

  • The designated repository for all official U.S. military photographs taken before 1982 is the:

    Still Picture Reference
    Special Media Archives Services Division
    National Archives & Records Administration
    8601 Adelphi Road
    College Park, MD 20740-6001
    Web site: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/photographs-dc.html
    Telephone: (301) 837-0561
    Fax: (301) 837-3621

    1,522 images from the collections of the Still Pictures Branch have been reproduced in War & Conflict: Selected Images from the National Archives 1765-1970, edited by Jonathan Heller (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1990). LC Call number: E181.W27 1990
  • Photographs that are considered "active" pending transfer to the National Archives:

    Defense Imagery Management Operations Center
    March Air Force Base, CA
    (888) 743-4662
    Web site: http://defenseimagery.mil

    Still, motion and multimedia imagery including imagery of operations and activities from throughout the Department of Defense.
  • Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace
    Stanford University
    Stanford, CA 94305
    Web site: http://www.hoover.org/
    telephone (650) 723-2058
    This institution has a large collection of posters, prints, drawings, and photographs, from various countries, with a special focus on the 19th century.
  • Department of Defense, Office of Public Affairs, DDI
    Room 2E765, The Pentagon
    Washington, D.C. 20301-1400
    Web site: http://www.defenselink.mil/multimedia/
    telephone (703) 697-6162 / 697-6161
    This public affairs office is particularly helpful in providing photographs and information, including of recent events, primarily to the media.
  • Armed Forces History Collection National Museum of American History
    Division of Military History and Diplomacy
    Smithsonian Institution
    P.O. Box 37012
    Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
    telephone (202) 633-3950

    This office is a good source of information on early American military uniforms and has a photograph collection.

  • National Museum of Health and Medicine
    Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Walter Reed Medical Center
    6900 Georgia Avenue at Elder Street, NW, Building 54
    Washington, D.C. 20306
    Building's zip code: 20307
    Web site: http://nmhm.washingtondc.museum/
    telephone (202) 782-2200
    Established during the Civil War as the Army Medical Museum, this Museum's collections focus particularly on specimens for research in military medicine and surgery, including the history and practice of American medicine. The museum's collections are made available for the education of medical professionals, Department of Defense personnel, historians, and the public through exhibits in the museum, loans to other institutions, and individualized study.

Particular Branches of the Military

  • Army
    • U.S. Army Center of Military History
      Attn: AAMC-MDC
      103 3rd Avenue
      Building 35, Ft. McNair
      Washington, D.C. 20319-5058
      Web site: http://www.history.army.mil
      This office has custody of the Army War Art collection of paintings, with photographs available of the paintings [telephone (202) 761-5396]. It also has historical information on all U.S. Army Museums [telephone (202) 761-5373.)
    • U.S. Army Military History Institute at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center
      ATTN: Special Collections
      905 Soldiers Drive
      Carlisle Barracks, PA 17013-5021
      Web site: http://www.usahec.org/
      Reference telephone (717) 245-3949
      Although especially known for its Civil War holdings, this institution has custody of large research collections of photographs on the U.S. Army from 1840 to the present donated by private sources. Includes collections of Omar Bradley and Lewis Blaine Hershey. Coverage is smaller for more recent events such as Desert Storm and Somalia.
    • U.S. Military Academy Library
      Jefferson Hall
      758 Cullum Road
      U.S. Military Academy
      West Point, NY 10996
      Web site: http://usmalibrary.usma.edu/
      Reference Deak (845) 938-8325
      The Archives includes cadet portraits, 20th century photographs of students, staff, and buildings taken by the White Brothers, and some Signal Corps, UPI, and AP photographs. The Special Collections have uncopyrighted photos of cadets and class photos, 1857 to the present, and alumni files. Coverage in Special Collections includes the Boxer Rebellion, WW I, WW II (Gen. Kruger and Gen. Bradley collections), Korean War, and a small amount of material on the Vietnamese Conflict.
    • United States Army Women's Museum
      2100"A" Avenue
      Fort Lee, VA 23801
      Web site: http://www.awm.lee.army.mil/
      telephone (804) 734-4327
    • George S. Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor
      P.O. Box 208
      4554 Fayette Avenue
      Fort Knox, KY 40121-0208
      Web site: http://www.generalpatton.org/
      telephone (502) 624-3812
    • U.S. Cavalry Museum and 1st Infantry
      500 Huebner Road
      Fort Riley, KS 66442
      Web site: http://www.riley.army.mil/UnitPage.aspx?unit=DPTMS.Museum
      telephone (785) 239-2737
    • U.S. Army Field Artillery & Fort Sill Museum
      437 Quanah Road
      Fort Sill, OK 73503-5100
      Web site: http://www.army.mil/museum/
      telephone (580) 442-5123

  • Coast Guard
    • Historian's Office (CG-09224)
      U.S. Coast Guard, Headquarters
      2100 Second Street, S.W.
      Washington, D.C. 20593
      Web site: http://www.uscg.mil/history/
      telephone (202) 267-372-4651 / 372-4653
      Holds materials relating to the Coast Guard, 1968 to present

  • Navy
    • U.S. Naval Institute
      Photo Service
      291 Wood Road
      Annapolis, MD 21402-5034
      Web site: http://photos.usni.org/

      telephone (410) 295-1022
      This library has a large collection of naval and maritime photographs. Coverage is of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, Marines, and Air Force. Have U.S. and foreign vessels, individuals, and combat photographs. Collections date from Civil War to present.
    • Naval History and Heritage Command
      Photographic Section
      Washington Navy Yard,
      805 Kidder Breese SE
      Washington, D.C. 20374-5060
      Web site: http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/nhcorg11.htm
      telephone (202) 433-2765
      This office has a wealth of information on sources of photographs relating to any aspect of U.S. naval history. Excellent coverage before 1920, good WW II coverage, moderate holdings through Vietnamese Conflict.

  • Air Force and Military Aviation
    • Air Force Historical Research Agency
      600 Chennault Circle
      Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6424
      Web site: http://www.afhra.af.mil
      telephone (334) 953-2395
    • National Air and Space Museum
      Archives Division, MRC322
      Smithsonian Institution
      Washington, D.C. 20560
      Mail: P.O. Box 30712
      Washington, DC 20013-7012
      Web site: http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/arch/collections/photoarchives.cfm
      telephone (202) 633-2315 or (202) 633-2320
      This office is an excellent source of information about the Air Force photographs held by the National Archives.
Prepared by: Prints and Photographs Division Reference Staff, January 1998. Last revised: November 2009
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  June 13, 2012
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