Reproductions of Prints & Photographs Division Images

Both the Library of Congress and outside vendors sell quality reproductions of images from the Prints & Photographs Division Collections.

Go to LC Duplication Services for purchasing a copy of any Prints & Photographs Division image * See delays affecting original nitrate negatives (updated 3/2011)

Go to full List of Vendors

Finding Images

• More than one million of the Division's more than thirteen million images are available online. To search for online images, see:
  • the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog
  • online Image Lists
  • Collection/Subject Overviews sample images.

• For images not displaying online, check the online catalog (it includes descriptions of non-digitized material, in addition to digitized items) or submit a request to the Reference Staff via Ask A Librarian

Credits and Permissions

• When material reproduced from the Library's collections is used in a publication, the Library requests that the reproduction number be published with credit to the Library, such as: "Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-13459."
  
• The Library does not grant or deny permission concerning the use of images. While many images are unrestricted, it is not true that all images in the Prints & Photographs Division are in the public domain. Patrons need to be aware of the several kinds of rights which might apply: copyright, donor restrictions, privacy rights, publicity rights, licensing and trademarks.
  

Delays affecting original nitrate negatives

Nitrate Film Negatives

Change: It is possible to purchase reproductions from nitrate negatives, which are stored in an off-site storage facility. Orders take 12-14 weeks to be completed.

Does this affect what I want to order?:  The negatives in the off-site storage facility that people most often order from are in the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information/Office of Emergency Management (FSA/OWI/OEM) Collection and in the LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection. 

Clues that an FSA/OWI/OEM image may be affected are:

• The MEDIUM field says "1 negative : nitrate" OR
• The information in the REPRODUCTION NUMBER field begins with: LC-USF33-

Clue that a LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection image is affected is:

• The negative number begins with: LC-L92, L922, L924, or L927

In a few instances, duplicate negatives or existing scans are available.  Please check with Prints & Photographs Division reference staff.

Continuing and New Services

• It is possible to purchase new scans and other types of copies made from safety film negatives and transparencies.

• Duplication Services and Prints & Photographs Division are launching a new service so that many original materials in P&P collections (e.g., small photographs, prints and posters) can be digitized.  In general, the images must be smaller than 24 inches on the longest side. All copying is subject to the condition of the original. For further information, please check with Duplication Services staff.