The Research Center collects photographic materials in a variety of formats. Approximately 500,000 images document the diverse history of Montana and the lives and accomplishments of its people. They include the work of amateurs and professionals who have captured the faces of the state's inhabitants, immortalized its landscape, and recorded its agricultural, industrial and technological developments. Several state agency photograph collections are also housed here.
How to search for photographs only
- Click the Search the catalog button at right. A new window with our online catalog will open.
- Within the online catalog, enter relevant search terms in the search box, and then press ENTER or click Search.
- Next, at the far left, under Limit Search Results, in Location, select the check box next to Photograph Archives, and then click Include. Your search results will be filtered so that only items in our photograph collections appear.
Photograph collections arranged by subject
Agriculture Collection
Shows rural life in Montana, 1880-1960. It includes views of livestock, crops, farm and ranch buildings, and irrigation projects.
North American Indian Collection
Documents Native American life after white settlement began in Montana. It contains portraits of tribal leaders, views of ceremonies, dances, dwellings and reservation life.
Mining Collection
Traces the history of placer and underground mining in Montana, 1860s-1960s. It documents mines, smelters, and mining equipment.
Photograph collections arranged by photographer
Christian Barthelmess Collection
Gives a glimpse of military life on the frontier, 1888 to 1906. It includes portraits of Native Americans and buildings at Fort Keogh.
Evelyn Jephson Cameron Collection
Reflects her interest in birds and other Montana wildlife and contains views of homesteading and ranching activities and scenery, 1895-1920.
Haynes Foundation Collection
24,000 images includes photographs taken by F. Jay Haynes (1853-1921) and his son, Jack Ellis Haynes (1884-1962) of the construction and operation of the Northern Pacific Railroad and the historical events and scenic beauty of Yellowstone National Park.
Laton Alton Huffman Collection
Records cowboys and ranch life in eastern Montana, Crow and Cheyenne Indians, the slaughter of buffalo, and the Custer Trail Expedition in 1916.
Warren McGee Collection
40,000 photographs, negatives and slides captures images of railroad locomotives from every significant railroad line that operated in Montana, 1930s-1990s.
State agency photograph collections
Montana Travel Promotion Unit Collection
Montana Aeronautics Commission Collection
Montana Department of Transportation Collection
Find out more about our photograph collections
For general information about our photograph holdings, contact us at 406-444-4739 or photoarchives@mt.gov. For information on permissions, contact Jeff Malcomson at 406-444-0261 or jmalcomson@mt.gov.