About this Collection
Contains almost 6,000 views of Europe and the Middle East and 500 views of North America. Published primarily from the 1890s to 1910s, these prints were created by the Photoglob Company in Zürich, Switzerland, and the Detroit Publishing Company in Michigan. The richly colored images look like photographs but are actually ink-based photolithographs, usually 6.5 x 9 inches.
Like postcards, the photochroms feature subjects that appeal to travelers, including landscapes, architecture, street scenes, and daily life and culture. The prints were sold as souvenirs and often collected in albums or framed for display.
The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division assembled this collection from two sources that provided prints in mint condition. In 1985, the prints of Europe and the Middle East were purchased from the Galerie Muriset in Switzerland. In 2004, Howard L. Gottlieb generously donated the North American views. Additional photochroms can be found in the collections listed in the Related Resources section.
Arrangement and Access
The Library of Congress staff organized the prints into groups according to geographical area. The place names printed in the photochrom titles often reflect the national boundaries and spellings used around 1900 when the pictures were published.
| Country | Quantity | Call Number |
|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 74 | LOT 13420 |
| Austro-Hungarian Empire | 591 | LOT 13417 |
| Bahamas | 6 | LOT 13923 |
| Belgium | 108 | LOT 13422 |
| Canada | 31 | LOT 13923 |
| Cuba | 2 | LOT 13923 |
| Denmark | 14 | LOT 13421 |
| England | 1,118 | LOT 13415 |
| France | 518 | LOT 13418 |
| French and Italian Riviera | 79 | LOT 13425 |
| Germany |
1,207 | LOT 13411 (the LOT also includes images in Poland, Czech Republic, and Russia) |
| Holy Land | 143 | LOT 13424 (the LOT includes Israel, Jerusalem, Lebanon, and West Bank) |
| Ireland | 121 | LOT 13406 |
| Italy | 318 | LOT 13434 |
| Latvia | 8 | LOT 13419 |
| Luxembourg | 2 | LOT 13429 |
| Montenegro | 7 | LOT 13430 |
| Netherlands | 116 | LOT 13423 |
| Norway | 155 | LOT 13432 |
| Poland | 91 | LOT 13411 and LOT 13419 |
| Romania | 8 | LOT 13431 |
| Russia | 72 | LOT 13411 and LOT 13419 |
| Scotland | 182 | LOT 13407 |
| Serbia | 4 | LOT 13433 |
| Spain | 8 | LOT 13426 |
| Switzerland | 741 | LOT 13410 |
| Tunisia | 41 | LOT 13427 |
| Turkey | 28 | LOT 13428 |
| Ukraine | 44 | LOT 13419 |
| 391 | LOT 13923 | |
| Wales | 167 | LOT 13408 |
| Unidentified (Europe) | 25 | LOT 13512 |
Also, a panoramic photochrom in the Panoramic Photographs Collection: "From Point Sublime, Colorado," - PAN US GEOG - Colorado no. 62 (E size).