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The largest space in the UK dedicated to a permanent photography collection
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Photography
In 1852, the V&A became one of the first museums to acquire photographs for its collections, holding its inaugural photography exhibition in 1858. Today, the collection is one of the most important in the world with approximately 800,000 images dating from the 1820s to the present day, and including examples of work from William Henry Fox Talbot, Julia Margaret Cameron, Cecil Beaton, Eadweard Muybridge and many more.
Features
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Beyond Modernism: reclaiming a feminist history of collage & photomontage"The act of cutting may be violent, yet the process leads to new and reparative ways of existing."
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In conversation: Amak Mahmoodian's photography series Zanjir19th-century Iranian photography, a princess, and exile
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An A to Z of photographic processesFind out about the processes and techniques used to create the photographs in our collection
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Pamela Bone: a quietly radical photographerExploring the experimental, and spiritually attuned photographic practice of quietly radical artist, Pamela Bone
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Photographing the American SouthWhat all these photographers had in common was a desire to understand the American South – its people, its places, its histories, and possible futures
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A tree story – a celebration of trees in photography
Take a meditative journey into the woods
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Staying Power: Photographs of Black British ExperienceStaying Power aims to raise awareness of the contribution of black Britons to British culture and society, as well as to the art of photography
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100 years of nature photography
Take a spectacular journey through the history of nature photography
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Colour photography at the V&AExplore our vast and varied collection of colour photographs
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A brief history of ghosts and spirit photographyFind out about the Victorian obsession with seances, spiritualism and capturing ghosts
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Celebrating Black women – photographs by Maud SulterMaud Sulter's powerful photographic portraits celebrate the cultural achievements of Black British women
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Take a photo with a Victorian sliding box camera: ASMRWatch and listen as we demonstrate how it would have been used
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Cameraless photographyDiscover this experimental, radical and often revelatory form of vision
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A brief history of vampires – in print, photography and postersDiscover, if you dare, how Count Dracula haunts the V&A's collections
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Off Pointe: Behind-the-scenes photography of the Royal Ballet by Mary McCartney'Off Pointe' by Mary McCartney captures intimate moments of Royal Ballet dancers behind-the-scenes
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The puzzle of portraits: Francis Williams and Vanley BurkeExplore two important portraits separated by three centuries
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Alfred Stieglitz – pioneer of modern photography"Photography fascinated me, first as a toy, then as a passion, then as an obsession."
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Feminist perspectives in American photographsFrom the fight for suffrage in the 19th century to today’s intersectional campaigns for gender justice
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Photographing the cameraTurning the focus on the camera with 10 highlights from the Camera Exposed display
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The making of an iconic image: Christine Keeler, 1963A political scandal, a chair, and a photograph. Discover the making of an iconic image.
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Surrealist photographyDiscover strange shapes, floating body parts and bizarre landscapes...
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Tim Walker's love letter to the V&AWe joined Tim Walker on some shoots for his latest project...
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The pioneering photography of Lady Clementina HawardenDiscover a prolific yet enigmatic early photographer
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Real Beauty: photography by Jodi BieberA photographic series rejecting the cult of perfection
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A celebration of human experience and humanity: the photography of Grace RobertsonA pioneering photographer who captured the every-day lives of British women
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Photographing industry – Maurice BroomfieldMeet Britain's premier industrial photographer
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Studio, street and style: the photography of James BarnorMeet the pioneering portrait photographer James Barnor
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100 years of fashion photography
Discover the key trends in fashion photography over the last 100 years
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Photographing masculinities: gender, identity and the gaze
Look through the lens of female and non-binary photographers in our collection
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Clicking the shutter on Paneth's plate camera: ASMR
Experience the camera like photographer Friedrich Paneth would have done
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Robert Howlett's iconic photographs of the 'Great Eastern', designed by Isambard Kingdom BrunelDiscover more about the ill-fated 'Great Eastern' steamship
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Family, photography, memories: Africa Fashion
Find out about the personal stories and unique fashion histories from individuals across the continent
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Unboxing an Edwardian photographic enlarger: ASMRListen in as we set it up
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Photographing the 'chosen family' – Nan Goldin and Rene MatićIn an era of smartphone cameras we can all take photographs, but what makes an image 'great'?
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Celebrating Black American history: Rahim Fortune's photography series HardtackDiscover the stories behind Rahim Fortune's photography series 'Hardtack'
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Collecting photography – personal reflections from Sir Elton John and David Furnish"I love painters, I love artwork, I collect paintings, but for me nothing speaks the truth more like a photograph."
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Unboxing weird and wonderful nature photographyTake a journey through some of our quirkier nature images
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Benjamin Brecknell Turner – an introductionDiscover one of the earliest, and greatest, British amateur photographers
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William Henry Fox Talbot – an introduction
Meet photographic pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot, famous for inventing the groundbreaking 'calotype' photographic process
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Paul Strand – an introduction
Martin Barnes, senior curator of photographs at the V&A, discusses the significance of Paul Strand's work
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Garry Fabian Miller: working methods
Garry Fabian Miller discusses the concepts behind his camera-less photography from his studio in Dartmoor
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Everything you need to know about Lee MillerDiscover the many faces of Lee Miller – an incredible photographer, surrealist artist and war correspondent
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Frederick Hollyer – Life and Work
Find out more about photographer Fredrick Hollyer who captured members of the Victorian artistic elite
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Thomas Ruff: working methods
Meet photographic artist Thomas Ruff at his incredible studio in Düsseldorf
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Bill Brandt – an introduction
Find out about the development of Bill Brandt's artistic vision
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The Harry Hammond photographic collection
The founding father of music photography
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Julia Margaret Cameron – an introduction
Introducing Julia Margaret Cameron, one of the most celebrated women in the history of photography
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Curtis Moffat: life and work
Curtis Moffat captured the 'bright young things' of the roaring twenties in stunning photographic portraits
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Cecil Beaton – an introduction
A photographer of fashion, society, and the British Royal Family, Cecil Beaton was also a set and costume designer and fashion expert
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Horst P. Horst – an introduction
The idealised figures and spot-lit style of Horst's images shaped the way fashion was presented in the 20th century
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Linnaeus Tripe: life and work
Find out more about the pioneering 19th-century British photographer
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Valérie Belin: working methods
How does Valérie Belin create her superimposed images and where does she find her inspiration?
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Ilse Bing – life and work
Find out about photographer Ilse Bing's life and career during the formative interwar years – from Frankfurt, to Paris to New York
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The circus photography of John HindeThe power of photography to create a "greatness and fullness of life"
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Photographing Frida Kahlo
Research Assistant Ana Baeza Ruiz explores why photography, not painting, was Kahlo's first means of self-expression
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What If? Stephen Tayo
Discover more about Stephen Tayo's photography series What If?
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X-raying the Fashion collection
Find out how we're shedding new light on our Fashion collections through the illuminating mode of X-ray
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Photographing Glastonbury Festival
Interviews with the five photographers who have captured Glastonbury through every era
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K. A. C. Creswell's early photographs of the Middle EastCreswell was among the first to use photography in the Middle East as an essential part of recording historic sites and buildings
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Revealing hidden structures through x-rays
Discover the internal structures of a hat, stays, and a hood - three historic objects from the exhibition, Fashioned from Nature
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A Warrior without a Weapon: Naomi Hobson in conversationDiscover Naomi Hobson's photographic series 'A Warrior without a Weapon' – striking portraits featuring men and boys with their hair and faces decorated with flowers.
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Body, land, and lens: the photography of Laura AguilarPowerful and provocative – one of the most important artists of her generation
Display
American Photographs
More info
Collection highlights
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'Self Evident', C-type print, by Ingrid Pollard, 1995, printed 2013, Brighton, EnglandV&A South Kensington -
'The Garden II', chromogenic print, by Siân Davey, 2021V&A South Kensington -
Lace, salted paper print, by William Henry Fox Talbot, early 1840s, BritainV&A South Kensington -
'The Break', Nermine Hammam, inkjet print, 2011V&A East Storehouse -
'Disconnected', inkjet print, by Marvel Harris, 2018, the NetherlandsV&A South Kensington -
'The Angel at the Tomb', photograph, by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1870, Isle of Wight, EnglandV&A South Kensington -
'View of the Raphael Cartoons Galleries at the South Kensington Museum', albumen print, by Isabel Agnes Cowper, about 1873V&A South Kensington -
'Lily Cole and Giant Camera', inkjet print, by Tim Walker, 2004. Museum no. E.1140-2008V&A South Kensington -
'Boys smoking, Portland Road, April 15 1956', gelatin silver print, by Roger Mayne, 1956, London, EnglandV&A South Kensington -
'Tree Peony' from Some Japanese Flowers Vol. I, collotype with lithographic overprinting in colour, by Kazumasa Ogawa, 1894, JapanV&A South Kensington -
'Columbia and Western #3', from the series 'Westward, the Course of Empire', by Mark Ruwedel, 1999V&A South Kensington -
'The Earring', photograph, by Madame Yevonde, about 1936, UK
Join a V&A Academy experience
Explore our curated range of expert-led courses, workshops, and talks, all with the V&A collections at their core.
- Expert led courses
- Practical workshops
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V&A Royal Photographic Society (RPS) collection
One of the most significant collections of photography in the world
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