Photographs: overview

The Prints and Drawings Department of the National Library holds an extensive collection of photographs of Switzerland documenting the nation’s cultural heritage in pictorial form.

Content and scope

  • Photographic works and documents with a link to Switzerland, from the earliest days of photography to the present day
  • Artistic, documentary, applied and private photography
  • Analogue photographs, paper prints, negatives, glass negatives, daguerreotypes, agency photographs
  • Author photographs and photographers’ archives that fall within the collection remit

Collection principles

  • Photographs are collected as a complement to prints, documenting the visual memory of past and present.
  • Focus on photographs of places and landscapes, portrait photography

Research and access

  • Many of the photographs are available in the HelveticArchives database.
  • Some photo collections can be found on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Original photographs can be viewed on site. Please contact us to arrange an appointment.

Swiss National Library

Prints and Drawings Department
Hallwylstrasse 15
Switzerland - 3003 Bern