Catalog | Public Records | Private Collections | Photographs | Film | Artifacts

The Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center's photograph and negative collections consist of over four million images, the majority of which are black and white. Collections range in size from the Sacramento Bee with close to 3 million images, to collections with a single photograph. Copies of photographs are available for reasonable fees. To research SAMCC's photograph collections, please contact the archivists.

The following ia a description of some of SAMCC's larger photographic collections.

Sacramento Bee Collection, c. 1950s-1996.
The majority of the collection contains negatives from each assignment. Whenever a photographer is given a job, he or she usually takes at least ten images. Consequently, not only the image which appeared in the newspaper is available, but all the other views as well. While negatives date as early as the 1920s most span from the early 1950s to 1996. Almost all negatives are arranged by the photographer's name, and then chronologically. Also contained in the collections is what we call the "photo morgue." These are photographic prints, arranged by subject, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s. The subjects include not only Sacramento area events and individuals, but also include events that had far-reaching consequences for the state and nation.

Ernest Myers Collection, 1912-1960s.
12,000 images. Mostly negatives, depict growing up in the Sacramento Valley. Images document the life of Ernest Myers through hunting scenes, swimming in the Sacramento River with his boyhood friends, WWI in France, changes in downtown Sacramento, his jewelry stores, and family vacations.

Frederick Beauchamp Collection, c. 1890-1915.
The Beauchamp Collection features life in Sacramento's upper class. Thomas Fraser, a local state senator, had four daughters who married local Sacramentans. These images depict the daughters and families, their family gatherings, and popular vacation spots in early 20th century California.

Levi Vandercook Collection, c. 1890-1920s.
This collection of 1,000 glass plate negatives includes images of Sacramento, Lodi, Folsom, and Yosemite. Vandercook was a local carpenter whose interest was photography. The collection documents the building of his home on P Street in Sacramento, his two children, and many landscape scenes. Vandercook, incidentally, married one of Senator Thomas Fraser's daughters. Many of the same people from the Beauchamp Collection, also appear in the Vandercook Collection.

David Joslyn Collection, c. 1910s-1920s.
These images, taken with 8 x 10 negatives are some of the sharpest photographs we have. Joslyn's subjects include railroad scenes, Sacramento businesses, and aerial shots of the downtown area.

Michael Benning Collection, c. 1930s-1950s.
Benning, a North Sacramento commercial photographer, specialized in photographing school children, Lake Tahoe region casinos and resorts, clubs and social organizations, sports teams, and church groups. This collection contains approximately 15,000 images, most of which are 8 x 10 negatives.

Alfred Hart Proof Album, 1860s.
This album documents the Central Pacific Railroad construction. Hart, the official photographer for the Central Pacific, is most famous for the 364 construction stereo cards he photographed. The proof album has the original images which were used in the stereo cards.

Ethnic Survey Photographs, c. 1850s-1980s.
These images were collected as part of a grant project to document the major ethnic groups within our community. Twenty-two groups are represented through oral history interviews, community histories, and the photographic images.

Natomas Company Collection, c. 1910s-1960s.
The business records of this company which changed the Sacramento Valley's geography through gold dredging, land reclamation, and levee building also contains hundreds of images of the gold dredgers, reclaimed land, and property.

McCurry Collection, c. 1910s-1960s.
Early views taken by founder Harold McCurry include Sacramento Valley businesses and landscapes. As McCurry's grew into one of Sacramento's largest photographic studios, its jobs and clients grew to include businesses and even the California State Legislature. This collection contains approximately 10,000 images.

Frank Christy Collection, c. 1850s-1980s.
Christy was the historian for the Native Sons of the Golden West. He collected materials related to California history and specifically Sacramento. He maintained "subject" files of Sacramento history. The files, from "Art to Zoo" contain photographs, pamphlets, newsclippings, brochures, and programs documenting the area. Over 4000 images of Sacramento scenes and events comprise this collection.