Top of page

Collection Photo, Print, Drawing Presidential File filing series (Library of Congress)

[ original digital photo ]

Full online access to this resource is only available at the Library of Congress.

About this Item

Title

  • Presidential File filing series (Library of Congress)

Summary

  • Portraits and other pictures relating to the lives, careers, and families of U.S. presidents, including their homes and birthplaces, friends and associates in group portraits, political campaigns, inaugurations, and statues and cartoons. Most of the portraits depict presidents prior to Harry Truman, with extensive documentation for George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Created / Published

  • 1790-present, bulk 1800-1960.

Headings

  • -  Washington, George,--1732-1799
  • -  Adams, John,--1735-1826
  • -  Jefferson, Thomas,--1743-1826
  • -  Madison, James,--1751-1836
  • -  Monroe, James,--1758-1831
  • -  Adams, John Quincy,--1767-1848
  • -  Jackson, Andrew,--1767-1845
  • -  Van Buren, Martin,--1782-1862
  • -  Harrison, William Henry,--1773-1841
  • -  Tyler, John,--1790-1862
  • -  Polk, James K.--(James Knox),--1795-1849
  • -  Taylor, Zachary,--1784-1850
  • -  Fillmore, Millard,--1800-1874
  • -  Pierce, Franklin,--1804-1869
  • -  Buchanan, James,--1791-1868
  • -  Lincoln, Abraham,--1809-1865
  • -  Johnson, Andrew,--1808-1875
  • -  Grant, Ulysses S.--(Ulysses Simpson),--1822-1885
  • -  Hayes, Rutherford B.,--1822-1893
  • -  Garfield, James A.--(James Abram),--1831-1881
  • -  Arthur, Chester Alan,--1829-1886
  • -  Cleveland, Grover,--1837-1908
  • -  Harrison, Benjamin,--1833-1901
  • -  McKinley, William,--1843-1901
  • -  Roosevelt, Theodore,--1858-1919
  • -  Taft, William H.--(William Howard),--1857-1930
  • -  Wilson, Woodrow,--1856-1924
  • -  Harding, Warren G.--(Warren Gamaliel),--1865-1923
  • -  Coolidge, Calvin--1872-1933
  • -  Hoover, Herbert,--1874-1964
  • -  Roosevelt, Franklin D.--(Franklin Delano),--1882-1945
  • -  Truman, Harry S.,--1884-1972
  • -  Eisenhower, Dwight D.--(Dwight David),--1890-1969
  • -  Kennedy, John F.--(John Fitzgerald),--1917-1963
  • -  Johnson, Lyndon B.--(Lyndon Baines),--1908-1973
  • -  Nixon, Richard M.--(Richard Milhous),--1913-1994
  • -  Ford, Gerald R.,--1913-2006
  • -  Carter, Jimmy,--1924-2024
  • -  Reagan, Ronald
  • -  Bush, George,--1924-2018
  • -  Clinton, Bill,--1946
  • -  Bush, George W.--(George Walker),--1946
  • -  Presidents--United States--Portraits
  • -  Presidents--United States--1790-2010
  • -  Presidents' spouses--United States--1790-2010
  • -  Government officials--1790-2010
  • -  Families--1790-2010
  • -  Dwellings--1790-2010
  • -  Inaugurations--1790-2010

Headings

  • Portrait photographs--1790-2010.
  • Portrait prints--1790-2010.

Genre

  • Portrait photographs--1790-2010
  • Portrait prints--1790-2010

Notes

  • -  Arrangement: Organized in one filing series with the call number prefix PRES FILE. Arrangement: This browsing file in the Prints & Photographs Division Reading Room is arranged alphabetically by surname of each president, with subdivisions by type of portrait and major activities.
  • -  The portrait media range from engravings, lithographs, and etchings to original photographs and copies of paintings.
  • -  The reference aid "Presidents of the United States: Selected Images From the Collections of the Library of Congress" is available online, https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/057_intr.html
  • -  The reference aid "First Ladies of the United States: Selected Images From the Collections of the Library of Congress" is available online, http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/print/list/058_intr.html
  • -  The reference aid "By Popular Demand: Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies" was available as part of the American Memory program from ca. 1998 to 2013.
  • -  The Presidential Index (a 12-drawer card file) lists portraits for which copy negatives have been made and provides cross references to some portraits housed in other collections.
  • -  Digitized images of more than 1,500 items in the file and their associated identifying information are available through the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, by searching using the call number "PRES FILE," http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ppoc
  • -  Gift, purchase, and copyright deposit; various sources; 1800s to present.

Medium

  • 15,000 photographs and prints.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Guide Record (Filing series: PRES FILE) [P&P]

Repository

  • Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl External .loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2001695652

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material. For information about assessing rights, see the Rights and Restrictions Information page.

  • Rights Advisory: Publication rights status of individual images not evaluated. For general information see "Copyright and Other Restrictions ...," https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/195_copr.html
  • Reproduction Number: ---
  • Call Number: Guide Record (Filing series: PRES FILE) [P&P]
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

Generally, Guide Records describe large groups of items from which a selection must be made. The individual items in the group may or may not be represented online.

  1. 1. Determine whether the desired materials can be retrieved online.
    • Select the "About this Item" tab and look for a note about tools for searching the group
    • If there is a note such as "Digitized images of most prints along with associated descriptive information are available through the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog," try searching the name of the collection in Search All
    • Select the "Obtaining Copies" tab for any retrieved items that are of interest.
  2. 2. If the desired material cannot be retrieved online:

Access to Originals

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.

  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Presidential File filing series Library of Congress. United States, 1790. to Present, Bulk 1800 to 1960. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2001695652/.

APA citation style:

(1790) Presidential File filing series Library of Congress. United States, 1790. to Present, Bulk 1800 to 1960. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2001695652/.

MLA citation style:

Presidential File filing series Library of Congress. to Present, Bulk 1800 to 1960. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2001695652/>.