George Eastman Museum Expands Certainly one of The World’s Oldest Photography Collections with 900 New Images

The George Eastman Museum, which holds one of many world’s oldest images collections, has added greater than 900 photographic works by way of purchases and donations in 2025.

The George Eastman Museum’s Department of Photography continues to develop a group that ranges from objects made earlier than images was publicly launched in 1839 to work produced as we speak. It contains all main photographic processes, from early daguerreotypes to digital photos, and covers a variety of makes use of, together with on a regular basis snapshots, creative work, scientific research, and documentary images.

As with any giant assortment, there are gaps, and new acquisitions usually intention to fill them. In some circumstances, the George Eastman Museum seems for extra examples of uncommon or uncommon processes. Two ivorytypes, donated by long-time supporter Donald Okay. Weber, are one instance. First developed within the 1850s, the ivorytype course of concerned combining two prints from the identical unfavourable, which have been hand-colored, waxed, and layered to create a way of depth. Different variations of this method, developed by numerous photographers, are already a part of the museum’s holdings.

The museum additionally added eighteen pictures by Diane Arbus, donated by Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco, and bought a significant work by Tseng Kwong Chi. These additions mirror its ongoing effort to develop its illustration of vital photographers and kinds. The George Eastman Museum additionally continues to gather work by photographers who have been related to the museum itself. This yr’s acquisitions embrace works by Beaumont Newhall and Nathan Lyons, each of whom beforehand labored on the establishment.

Some of the brand new works will likely be proven in upcoming exhibitions. Four pictures by Wayne Miller will appear in Edward Steichen and the Garden in 2026. The photos present Steichen’s each day life and his curiosity in gardening. Other latest additions, together with works by Brett Weston, Milton Rogovin, and Carl Chiarenza, will likely be included in a future Selections from the Collection display.

“Through carefully considered additions to our holdings, we seek to expand the possibilities for understanding the photographic medium, making it accessible to our colleagues and the general public alike,” says Jamie M. Allen, Stephen B., and Janice G. Ashley, Curator and Head, Department of Photography.

“While we continue to build our holdings of nineteenth- and twentieth-century photography, which serve as the foundations of our collection, we also seek to document twenty-first-century uses of photography, from photojournalism to contemporary art. In 2025 we had amazing opportunities to add significant works from all periods of the medium’s history, filling gaps and bolstering our ability to tell expansive stories.”

Founded in 1947, the George Eastman Museum is the world’s oldest images museum and one of many largest movie archives within the United States. Its assortment contains greater than 450,000 pictures, 31,000 movement image movies, a significant assortment of photographic and cinematographic know-how, a big library of supplies associated to images and cinema. The museum is situated on the historic Rochester, New York property of entrepreneur and philanthropist George Eastman, a pioneer of widespread images.

Image credit: All pictures courtesy of George Eastman Museum.