September 29, 2025 Library of Congress Acquires Historic Photography Collection from Pittsburgh

The Library of Congress has acquired a historical collection of amateur photographic prints from the Photographic Section of the Academy of Science and Art of Pittsburgh, one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating photography clubs.

The collection includes approximately 700 prints that were exhibited in the organization’s salons held annually from 1914 through 1980, along with a full run of salon catalogs. While many works are by Pittsburgh-based photographers, the collection includes nationally and internationally recognized figures such as Hiromu Kira, Harry K. Shigeta, William Mortensen, A. Aubrey Bodine, Jose Ortiz Echague, Rudolf Koppitz and Leonard Missone. Many of these photographers are not currently represented in the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division.

Of note are 181 prints by Charles K. Archer, former section president from 1927 to 1939, most created using the labor-intensive bromoil process, an expressive photo technique that allows artists to manipulate the pigment application and emphasize the aesthetic and emotional qualities of a print. Currently, the Prints and Photographs Division holds only two examples of bromoil prints.

This gift expands the Library’s already strong holdings in pictorialist and amateur photography from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and fills a critical gap in materials from the post-1930s salon movement, a period largely absent from museum and library collections. In documenting stylistic shifts in amateur practice over nearly seven decades, as well as the exchange of photographic ideas among clubs nationally and abroad, the collection offers significant opportunities for new research.

 “Our historical image collection is a cornerstone of our legacy and our mission to celebrate amateur photography. Many images were created by members who helped found and shape the Photographic Society of America, capturing both artistic expression and moments in history,” said Frederick Doerfler, president of The Photographic Section of the Academy of Science and Art of Pittsburgh.  “By entrusting the collection to the Library of Congress, we ensure this visual heritage is preserved and accessible to inspire photographers, historians and the public for generations to come.”

Before coming to the Library, selections from the collection were included in exhibitions at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Carnegie Museum of Art.

Founded in 1885 as the Amateur Photographers' Society of Pittsburgh, the group became part of the Academy in 1890 and adopted the name Photographic Section in 1900. Its long-running salon exhibitions were a major force in advancing photography as a fine art, with the Pittsburgh Salon of Photographic Art described in 1919 by Camera Craft as “the premier annual photographic exhibition of the Western world.”

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services, and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.