Mandate of the collection

Website — Documents from the collection of Friedrich Staub (1826–1896), who was a catalyst in the creation of the Swiss National Library. Staub's significant donation of visual documents marks the beginning of the NL's image collection more than 100 years ago (photo: NL, Helene Spörri).

The Prints and Drawings Department collects and maintains the visual cultural heritage of Switzerland, sharing it and making it available for research and use. Since its founding in 1895, the Swiss National Library has amassed a wide array of visual documents featuring the landscapes, settlements and buildings of Switzerland as well as Swiss history, customs, culture and personalities.

In addition to graphic arts, photographs, postcards, posters, artists’ books and artists' archives, the department also houses the Federal Archives of Historic Monuments, which contain plans, reports and photographs related to monuments, protected sites and archaeological digs.

The collection currently focuses on:

modern and contemporary graphic arts (prints and drawings)
photography (primarily portrait photography and editions)
posters (political, social and cultural themes as well as tourism and product advertisement)
artists’ books and editions.