About the Collection
Jack and Beverly Wilgus collected photography for more than 50 years. Their resulting collection comprises some 30,000 photographs representing a wide range of processes and equipment, and objects dating from pre-photography to the end of the 20th century. The collection is a celebration of the depth, breadth and quality of the medium. This digital collection provides a sample of the holdings.
The world’s leading photographers are represented, including William Henry Fox Talbot, Anna Atkins, Southworth & Hawes, Hill & Adamson, Julia Margaret Cameron, Brady, Muybridge, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Walker Evans, and Aaron Siskind. Items include cameras, optical toys, stereos, projectors, vernacular images, real photographic postcards, books, and much more.
The Wilgus History of Photography collection is encyclopedic, with extraordinary range and quality. The Wilguses are both photographers and teachers, and therefore know what makes a “good” photograph. Beginning in 1968 with their first photographic purchase, the collection evolved into an exceptional educational tool for teaching the history of photography with examples from all periods.