The Photograph and Print Collection
The Photograph and Print Collection is a treasure chest for those interested in the culture and history of Icelanders. The collection preserves approximately eight million photographs, which hold invaluable cultural significance. Photographs shed light on who we are and where we come from. A part of the collection can be viewed on the Sarpur database (sarpur.is).
Photographs are the largest category in the National Museum of Iceland. It includes a selection of daily life and portrait photographs from the beginning of photography in 1839 until the turn of the millennium in 2000. It also contains the best-preserved collection of drawn and painted portraits and scenes from Icelandic daily life from the 16th to the 19th century.
The role of the Photograph and Print Collection is to collect, register, and preserve photographs, glass plates, films, negatives, and other materials related to photography.
To contact us, please send an email to ljosmyndasafn@thjodminjasafn.is.
Are you interested in donating photos to the museum?
If you want to hand over photos to the museum for preservation, please provide the following information: quantity, age of the photographs and the photographer's name. A specialist from the Photograph Collection will be in touch as soon as possible.
The collection consists of five sub-collections:
The Portrait Collection contains approximately 55,000 photographs. The collection of portraits began in 1908, marking the start of photograph collection in Iceland.
The Photograph and Print Collection comprises about 37,000 images. The collection of these images commenced in 1915.
The Postcard Collections contains around 14,000 cards.
The Film and Plate Collections are obtained from professional photographers, studios, and enthusiasts. The first collection of this kind was acquired in 1915. The Film and Plate Collections vary in size, with some containing only ten images while others have over a million. In total, there are around four million images in the Film and Plate Collection.
Image Collections, 75 in total, includes collections from institutions and companies that have entrusted their photograph collections to the National Museum for preservation. Among these are the photograph collections of Morgunblaðið (newspaper) and the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service.
Do you want to buy photographs or copyrights?
Útgefendur, kvikmyndagerðafólk, sérfræðingar og allir áhugasamir geta keypt eða leigt eftirtökur af myndum safnins.
- Ef keyptar eru fleiri en 7 myndir er veittur 30% afsláttur.
- Söfn fá 50% afslátt vegna sýninga og útgáfu.
- Allar myndir eru afhentar rafrænt í 300 punkta upplausn. Fyrir viðbótar myndvinnslu er greitt samkvæmt gjaldskrá.
Vinsamlega kynnið ykkur skilmála og við aðstoðum ykkur eftir bestu getu.
Manual on Photograph Preservation
The Manual is a guide on image preservation and is aimed at museum staff. The term 'image' refers to all types of photographs, from daguerreotypes to digital photographs, including paper prints, slides, and films, both black and white and colour images, whether loose, framed, or in albums. It also covers films and their preservation, whether they are on film reels, videotapes, or disc formats.
Research & publications
The Photographs & Print Collection has published various works. These include overview works on the history of photography during specific periods and works about individual photographers. In addition, various unpublished reports about the collection have been compiled.
Publications and research
Þjóðin, landið og lýðveldið
Vigfús Sigurgeirsson ljósmyndari og kvikmyndagerðarmaður. Ágúst Ó. Georgsson, Christiane Stahl, Linda Ásdísardóttir og Sigurjón Baldur Hafsteinsson unnu að rannsókninni. 2008.
Konunglegur hirðljósmyndari
Rannsókn á starfsferli Ólafs Magnússonar og þætti hans í íslenskri ljósmyndasögu. Inga Lára Baldvinsdóttir og Ívar Brynjólfsson unnu að rannsókninni. 2003.
Líf og starf Lofts Guðmundssonar
Inga Lára Baldvinsdóttir, Margrét Elísabet Ólafsdóttir og Erlendur Sveinsson unnu að rannsókninni. 2002.
Ljósmyndir úr Fox-leiðangrinum 1860
Inga Lára Baldvinsdóttir vann að rannsókninni. 2002.
Skotskífur úr fórum Det Kongelige Kjöbenhavnske Skydeselskab og danske Broderskab
Inga Lára Baldvinsdóttir vann að rannsókninni. 2001.
Ljósmyndarar á Íslandi 1845-1945
Yfirlitsrit um sögu íslenskrar ljósmyndunar og starfandi ljósmyndara á tímabilinu. Inga Lára Baldvinsdóttir vann að rannsókninni. 2001.
Ferðalangurinn og rithöfundurinn Throup og Íslandsmyndir hans
Ívar Brynjólfsson annaðist rannsóknina. 2001.
Magnús Ólafsson og framlag hans til íslenskrar ljósmyndunar
Inga Lára Baldvinsdóttir vann að rannsókninni. 2000.
Hans Malmberg og Íslandsmyndir hans
Inga Lára Baldvinsdóttir vann að rannsókninni. 2000.
Líf og starf Sigríðar Zoëga
Æsa Sigurjónsdóttir vann að rannsókninni. 2000.
Ljósmyndir teknar af Fransmönnum á Íslandi á 19. öld
Æsa Sigurjónsdóttir vann að rannsókninni. 2000.
Ljósmyndun á Íslandi 1950-1970
Guðrún Harðardóttir vann að rannsókninni. 1999.
Rannsókn á gömlum þjóðlífsmyndum úr bókum og blöðum frá fyrri öldum
Halldór J. Jónsson vann í félagi við Árna Björnsson. 1984.
Skrá yfir mannamyndir Sigurðar Guðmundssonar málara
Rannsókn unnin af Halldóri J. Jónssyni. 1977.
