New Online Archive Lets You Explore the First 100 Years of European Photos

Europeana.eu has launched a searchable online gallery of more than 2 million historical photographs, which catalog the first 100 years of photography in Europe.

The gallery is a brilliant resource for those interested in historical photography, including important work by pioneers like Julia Margaret Cameron, Eadweard Muybridge, and Louis Daguerre.

‘Loya. Valley of the Yosemite. (The Sentinel)’, Muybridge, Eadweard, c. 1867 – c. 1872

Over 50 European institutions from 34 countries have contributed photographs to the collection, which were sourced from photographic archives, agencies and museum collections across Europe.

Panoramic view of Innsbruck with snowy mountain peaks, anonymous, c. 1893 – c. 1903

The Europeana Photography project is being led by PHOTOCONSORTIUM, the International Consortium for Photographic Heritage. The non-profit aims to promote and enhance the culture of photography and photographic heritage.

The 2,296,517 photos in the collection can be filtered by the providing country, institution, and usage license. Many of the images are Public Domain.

Nicola Perscheid. Grand Canal, Venice, 1929. Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg

Check out the portal at Europeana.eu, where you can search for a topic or place that interests you.

Discussion