Photographs
National Museums NI holds a wide range of historic photographs - almost 500,000 topographical, portrait and record images. Most are in black and white and kept in print and negative format. The collection dates from around 1870 and mostly relates to the northern parts of Ireland. Other regions are also covered, especially the west. They describe:
- commercial and social life
- industrial and economic activity
- street scenes and townscapes
- land, sea, air, and road transport
- political and social events
The museum maintains a large collection of lantern slides—for use in magic lanterns, a 19th century forerunner of the slide projector - depicting social, economic, and industrial life in Ireland in the late 1800s and 1900s. We also hold a large photographic archive which includes copies of major collections held elsewhere, such as the Annesly, Young, and Langham collections.
The photographic collections also chart the development of photography itself. Our oldest photographs are daguerreotypes and calotypes from the dawn of the medium. We hold a collection of cameras, magic lanterns, and photographic equipment, dating from the 1850s onwards.
- Belfast Telegraph Collection
- Bigger Collection
- Coey Album
- Dundee / McKinney Collection
- Evelyn Hofer
- First World War Castleton Lantern Slides
- Garland Collection
- Green Collection
- Harland and Wolff Collection
- Hogg Collection
- James Glass Album
- L Series
- Lantern Slides
- Martin Nangle Collection
- Newman Collection
- Northern Ireland Tourist Board Collection
- Philip Woods Collection
- Quinn Collection
- Welch Collection
- William Robb Collection
HOYFM.WAG.1007
10 1/4" DOUBLE DAMASK POWER LOOM, WARINGSTOWN
Photograph; glass plate negative
BELUM.Y26402.110
109th Field Ambulance at La Val de Maison
Photographic Print
HOYFM.NITB.3132
12th July Belfast
Photograph: B&W/ Negative and a positive image
HOYFM.NITB.3136
12th July Procession Belfast
Photograph: B&W/ Negative and a positive image
HOYFM.NITB.3135
12th July Procession Belfast
Photograph: B&W/ Negative and a positive image
HOYFM.NITB.3134
12th July Procession Belfast
Photograph: B&W/ Negative and a positive image
HOYFM.NITB.3133
12th July Procession Belfast
Photograph: B&W/ Negative and a positive image
HOYFM.NITB.3119
12th July Procession Belfast
Photograph: B&W/ Negative
HOYFM.NITB.3110
12th July Procession Belfast
Photograph: B&W/ Negative
HOYFM.NITB.3109
12th July Procession Belfast
Photograph: B&W/ Negative
BELUM.Ws2022.1356
16th Century Museum in Naples
lantern slide
BELUM.Y26402.105
1st July 1916 Germans surrendering at their Second Line Trench
Photographic Print
BELUM.Y26402.68
23 December 1915
Photographic Print
HOYFM.WAG.2162
3RD LOCKS ON THE RIVER LAGAN
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.HW.1940
7
Photograph
HOYFM.WAG.107
70FT OVAL GIRDER BRIDGE, GOBBINS, ISLANDMAGEE
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.3831
7LB. WEIGHT MADE OF STONE, BALLYCARRY, CO. ANTRIM
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.499
98 MEMORIAL, WICKLOW
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1014
A "LINT HOLE", SHOWING FLAX IN STEEP, TOOME CO. ANTRIM
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1999
A 12TH OF JULY DEMONSTRATION IN BELFAST
Photograph; glass plate negative
BELUM.Y.W.05.54.9
A bathing party at Orlock Point tunnel, Co Down
Photographic negative : photographic print
HOYFM.WAG.93
A BEND ON THE LAGAN
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.123
A BIT OF OLD CARRICKFERGUS
Photograph; glass plate negative
BELUM.Ws2022.722
A Breeding Place of Chough, Clare Island
lantern slide
HOYFM.WAG.1943
A BUILDER OF "WHEEL CARS" GLENSHESK, CO. ANTRIM
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1997
A CANVAS CURRAGH, NORTH WEST DONEGAL
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1995
A CANVAS CURRAGH, NORTH WEST DONEGAL
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.254
A CANVAS CURRAGH, ROSAPENNA, NW DONEGALL
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1960
A CANVAS CURRAGH, SHEEPHAVEN, CO. DONEGAL
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1168
A CARNLOUGH "LOW BACK" CAR
Photograph; glass plate negative
BELUM.Y.W.01.81.26
A championship golf meeting. Portrush
Photographic negative : photographic print
BELUM.Y.W.40.03.4
"A Cloonee glen"
Photographic negative : photographic print
HOYFM.WAG.264
A CO ANTRIM BLOCKWHEEL CAR
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1164
A CO. ANTRIM COTTAGE AND TURF STACK, TOOME
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1940
A CO. ANTRIM FARM KITCHEN WITH DOG STONE FIREPLACE
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1963
A CO. ANTRIM KITCHEN WITH FIREPLACE FOR COAL AND TURF
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1163
A CO. ANTRIM KITCHEN, "HARNEN". THE OATEN FARLS
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1992
A CO. ANTRIM PEAT BOG
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1022
A CO. ANTRIM SCUTCH MILL, TOOME
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.2517
A CO. FERMANAGH BOG
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1197
A CO. KERRY CABIN IN THE GAP OF DUNLOE, KILLARNEY
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.2363
A CORK JINGLE
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.2362a
A CORK JINGLE
Photograph; glass plate negative
BELUM.Y.W.01.54.27
A corn mill, Glenaan, Co. Antrim
Photographic negative : photographic print
HOYFM.WAG.1154
A CORNER IN A CO. ANTRIM FARMHOUSE, TOOME
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1961
A CORRYMEELA FARM KITCHEN
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.1646
A CORRYMEELA FARM, CUSHENDUN
Photograph; glass plate negative
HOYFM.WAG.288
A DAMASK NAPKIN HANDLOOM WEAVER, WARINGSTOWN
Photograph; glass plate negative
BELUM.Y.W.09.26.2
"A dell in Dungannon Park."
Photographic negative : photographic print
HOYFM.WAG.2590
A DONEGAL CABIN, ROSGUIL
Photograph; glass plate negative
BELUM.Y.W.04.69.78
A Donegal spinner, Rosapenna, Mulroy Bay
Photographic negative : photographic print
BELUM.Y26402.17
A Dud
Photographic Print