Photography Centre
The largest space in the UK dedicated to a permanent photography collection
Find out more
Photography
The V&A began acquiring photographs in 1852, and its collection is now one of the largest and most important in the world.
The history of the photography collection in the V&A is closely connected with the development of the Museum as a whole. Its first director, Henry Cole, was an amateur photographer himself and a great supporter of the art of photography. He began a photography collection in 1856, the year that the South Kensington Museum, now the V&A, was established. Since then, the collection has grown to be international in scope and comprises over 800,000 photographs dating from 1839 to the present. Photography can be seen as a combination of science and art, in which advances in technique continually feed creativity and artistic achievement.
Collection highlights
-
'Self Evident', C-type print, by Ingrid Pollard, 1995, printed 2013, Brighton, England -
'The Garden II', chromogenic print, by Siân Davey, 2021 -
Lace, salted paper print, by William Henry Fox Talbot, early 1840s, Britain -
'The Break', Nermine Hammam, inkjet print, 2011 -
'Disconnected', inkjet print, by Marvel Harris, 2018, the Netherlands -
'The Angel at the Tomb', photograph, by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1870, Isle of Wight, England -
'View of the Raphael Cartoons Galleries at the South Kensington Museum', albumen print, by Isabel Agnes Cowper, about 1873 -
'Lily Cole and Giant Camera', inkjet print, by Tim Walker, 2004. Museum no. E.1140-2008 -
'Boys smoking, Portland Road, April 15 1956', gelatin silver print, by Roger Mayne, 1956, London, England -
'Tree Peony' from Some Japanese Flowers Vol. I, collotype with lithographic overprinting in colour, by Kazumasa Ogawa, 1894, Japan -
'Columbia and Western #3', from the series 'Westward, the Course of Empire', by Mark Ruwedel, 1999 -
'The Earring', photograph, by Madame Yevonde, about 1936, UK
Features
Introducing the photography collection
Introducing the photography collection
Take a behind-the-scenes look at our world class photography collection following the transfer of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) Collection
Photographic processes
Photographic processes
Find out about the processes and techniques used to create the photographs in our collection
Everything you need to know about Lee Miller
Everything you need to know about Lee Miller
Discover the many faces of Lee Miller – an incredible photographer, surrealist artist and war correspondent
Collecting photography – Personal reflections from Sir Elton John and David Furnish
Collecting photography – Personal reflections from Sir Elton John and David Furnish
Colour photography at the V&A
Colour photography at the V&A
Explore our vast and varied collection of colour photographs
A brief history of ghosts and spirit photography
A brief history of ghosts and spirit photography
Find out about the Victorian obsession with seances, spiritualism and capturing ghosts
'Zabat' – photographs by Maud Sulter
'Zabat' – photographs by Maud Sulter
Maud Sulter's powerful photographic portraits celebrate the cultural achievements of Black British women
Take a photo with a Victorian sliding box camera: ASMR
Take a photo with a Victorian sliding box camera: ASMR
Watch and listen as we demonstrate how it would have been used
Cameraless photography
Cameraless photography
Discover this experimental, radical and often revelatory form of vision
The circus photography of John Hinde
The circus photography of John Hinde
The power of photography to create a "greatness and fullness of life"
Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience
Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience
Staying Power aims to raise awareness of the contribution of black Britons to British culture and society, as well as to the art of photography
Linnaeus Tripe: life and work
Linnaeus Tripe: life and work
Find out more about the pioneering 19th-century British photographer
A brief history of vampires – in print, photography and posters
A brief history of vampires – in print, photography and posters
Discover, if you dare, how Count Dracula haunts the V&A's collections
Off Pointe by Mary McCartney
Off Pointe by Mary McCartney
'Off Pointe' by Mary McCartney captures intimate moments of Royal Ballet dancers behind-the-scenes
The puzzle of portraits: Francis Williams and Vanley Burke
The puzzle of portraits: Francis Williams and Vanley Burke
Explore two important portraits separated by three centuries
Alfred Stieglitz – pioneer of modern photography
Alfred Stieglitz – pioneer of modern photography
"Photography fascinated me, first as a toy, then as a passion, then as an obsession."
Shooting Concorde
Shooting Concorde
Photographer Hélène Binet captures the iconic Concorde on film
The camera as star
The camera as star
Photographs curator Marta Weiss turns the focus on the camera itself with 10 highlights from the Camera Exposed display
Cecil Beaton: royal photographer
Cecil Beaton: royal photographer
Find out more about the Cecil Beaton archive of royal portraits at the V&A
Cecil Beaton – an introduction
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
Horst P. Horst – an introduction
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
Paul Strand – an introduction
Paul Strand – an introduction
Martin Barnes, senior curator of photographs at the V&A, discusses the significance of Paul Strand's work
Curtis Moffat: life and work
Curtis Moffat: life and work
Curtis Moffat captured the 'bright young things' of the roaring twenties in stunning photographic portraits
Curtis Moffat: working methods
Curtis Moffat: working methods
Discover how Curtis Moffat created balanced, interesting compositions that play with light and shade
The making of an iconic image: Christine Keeler, 1963
The making of an iconic image: Christine Keeler, 1963
A political scandal, a chair, a photograph. Discover the making of an iconic image.
Horst at work: behind the scenes at American Vogue
Horst at work: behind the scenes at American Vogue
Original film footage from the Vogue cutting room floor gives a fascinating insight into the history of fashion publishing
Surrealist photography
Surrealist photography
Discover strange shapes, floating body parts and bizarre landscapes...
Tim Walker's love letter to the V&A
Tim Walker's love letter to the V&A
We joined Tim Walker on some shoots for his latest project...
Benjamin Brecknell Turner – an introduction
Benjamin Brecknell Turner – an introduction
Discover one of the earliest, and greatest, British amateur photographers
The real Alice in Wonderland
The real Alice in Wonderland
Meet Alice Liddell, Lewis Carroll's muse and inspiration
Wonderful Things: the making of an exhibition
Wonderful Things: the making of an exhibition
Hear how the magical Tim Walker: Wonderful Things exhibition took shape
Lady Clementina Hawarden – an introduction
Lady Clementina Hawarden – an introduction
Discover a prolific yet enigmatic early photographer
Real Beauty: photography by Jodi Bieber
Real Beauty: photography by Jodi Bieber
Photographer Jodi Bieber invited women to pose in their own homes, dressed in their underwear, for her series Real Beauty
Grace Robertson: life and work
Grace Robertson: life and work
Grace Robertson was a pioneering photographer who captured the every-day lives of British women
About the Known & Strange display
About the Known & Strange display
Discover some of today's most compelling achievements in contemporary photography
Maurice Broomfield – an introduction
Maurice Broomfield – an introduction
Meet Britain's premier industrial photographer
Talking photography: Maurice Broomfield
Talking photography: Maurice Broomfield
Listen to Britain's premier industrial photographer talk about some of his most iconic work
100 years of fashion photography
100 years of fashion photography
Discover the key trends in fashion photography over the last 100 years
Studio, street and style: the photography of James Barnor
Studio, street and style: the photography of James Barnor
Meet the pioneering portrait photographer James Barnor
Julia Margaret Cameron – an introduction
Julia Margaret Cameron – an introduction
Introducing Julia Margaret Cameron, one of the most celebrated women in the history of photography
Photographing masculinities: gender, identity and the gaze
Photographing masculinities: gender, identity and the gaze
Look through the lens of female and non-binary photographers in our collection
Clicking the shutter on Paneth's plate camera: ASMR
Clicking the shutter on Paneth's plate camera: ASMR
Experience the camera like photographer Friedrich Paneth would have done
Photographing the 'Great Eastern'
Photographing the 'Great Eastern'
Discover Robert Howlett's iconic photographs of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the ill-fated 'Great Eastern'
Family, photography, memories: Africa Fashion
Family, photography, memories: Africa Fashion
Find out about the personal stories and unique fashion histories from individuals across the continent
Unboxing an Edwardian photographic enlarger: ASMR
Unboxing an Edwardian photographic enlarger: ASMR
Listen in as we set it up
Great images | Misty and Joey at Hornstrasse by Nan Goldin
Great images | Misty and Joey at Hornstrasse by Nan Goldin
In an era of smartphone cameras we can all take photographs, but what makes an image 'great'?
