The General Photograph Collection visually documents life at Carnegie Mellon University from its founding to the present day. The collection includes images of campus and its buildings, student activities such as athletics and Buggy, teaching and learning, and images of individuals. The collection is particularly strong in its documentation of student life in the 1960s. It also offers rich documentation of technology and experimentation on campus, including campus laboratories, computers, and machinery.
The General Photograph Collection is comprised of two bodies of photographs: the General Photograph Collection and the Marketing and Communications Photograph Collection. The General Photograph Collection is primarily made of printed photograph, while the Marketing and Communications Photograph Collection is primarily 35mm negatives. The majority of images in this collection were taken by official campus photographers. However, early images come from multiple sources and the rights holder is not always clear. We have made a best faith effort to identify copyright holders for our images. If you believe you are the copyright holder for one of these images, please contact us with more information.
The physical collection includes more than one million images, though only a small portion is currently available online. We are continuing to add new content to the online collection. If you have questions regarding content not yet available online, please contact the archives.
Accessing the Collection
The General Photograph Collection and the Marketing and Communications Photograph Collection are available for use in the Carnegie Mellon University Archives. Contact the archives to schedule an appointment.
Finding Aid
Guides to the General Photograph Collection and the Marketing and Communications Photograph Collection are available online.
Dates
While the collection contains photographs taken between 1900 and 2014, the majority of photographs document campus between 1940 and 1990.
Rights
Copyright is held by Carnegie Mellon University. Additional permission is required for use of images in publication. The collection may contain third-party materials for which copyright is not held. Patrons are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials.
Acknowledgements
Digitization and description of this collection has been made possible through generous support from Michael and Lonna Smith.
