Early Photography Archive

Name: Early Photography Archive
Creator: Analog Photo Today
License: Open-access data is CC0; public-domain images are served via IIIF links without redistribution.

The Early Photography Archive presents public-domain photographs from the Art Institute of Chicago photography and media collection, with artist, process and dating context, drawn from the CC0 API and refreshed monthly. Every record links the museum page and adds technique family, origin region and era labels from our pipeline.

Records: 4,070
Last changed: 09/02/2026
Update schedule: 27 5 2 * * UTC
Coverage: 03/03/2026–09/02/2026
Method: Methodology

Photograph	Artist	Date	Technique	Origin	On view
Sculptures	Hippolyte Bayard French, 1801–1887	1839/40, printed 1985	printing_dyeing metalwork photography	Europe	false
Copy Print From "Celebrated Inscriptions Ancient Eugubine Tablets"	William Henry Fox Talbot English, 1800–1877	c. 1844	printing_dyeing photography	Europe	false
Articles of China on Four Shelves	William Henry Fox Talbot English, 1800–1877	c. 1844	printing_dyeing photography	Europe	false
Untitled	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/99	other	other	false
Untitled	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/60	photography	other	false
Untitled	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/99	photography	other	false
Untitled	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/99	photography	other	false
Untitled	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/99	other	other	false
Untitled (Locket)	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/60	photography	other	false
Untitled	Possibly William J. Shew American, 1820–1903	1839/99	photography	Americas	false
Untitled	W. Lucas 19th century	1839/99	other	other	false
Two Plant Specimens	William Henry Fox Talbot English, 1800–1877	1839	photography	Europe	false
Articles of Glass on Three Shelves	William Henry Fox Talbot English, 1800–1877	c. 1844	printing_dyeing photography	Europe	false
Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire	William Henry Fox Talbot English, 1800–1877	c. 1844	printing_dyeing photography	Europe	false
Untitled (Three Men)	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/99	other	—	false
Untitled (Portrait of a Man)	Artist unknown Probably American, 19th century	1839/60	photography	Americas	false
Untitled (Portrait of a Young Woman in a Dark Silk Dress)	Artist unknown Probably American, 19th century	1839/60	photography	Americas	false
Untitled (Mother with Dead Child)	Artist unknown Probably American, 19th century	1839/60	photography	Americas	false
Untitled	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/99	other	other	false
Eben Matthews as a Child	Artist unknown American, 19th century	1839/60	photography	Americas	false
Mary Underwood, Olive Underwood and Susan Underwood	Artist unknown American, 19th century	1839/60	photography	Americas	false
Abby Frances Snow, 2 1/2 years old	Artist unknown American, 19th century	1839/60	photography	Americas	false
Phoebe Matthews and Captain Oliver Matthews	Nathanial Jaquith American, 1834–1865	1839/66	photography	Americas	false
Untitled (Kennedy's Store)	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/99	photography	other	false
Untitled (Portrait of a Child)	Mathew B. Brady American, 1823–1896	1839/60	photography	Americas	false
Untitled (Mother and Child in an Informal Pose)	Artist unknown Probably American, 19th century	1839/60	photography	Americas	false
S. P. Peck Apothecary	Artist unknown American, 19th century	1839/60	photography	Americas	false
Untitled (Young Man with Hat)	Artist unknown Probably American, 19th century	1839/60	photography	Americas	false
Untitled (Seated Man and Boy)	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/60	photography	—	false
Untitled (Boy with Hat)	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/60	photography	—	false
Untitled (Young Man Standing)	Artist unknow 19th century	1839/60	photography	—	false
Some Account of the Art of Photogenic Drawing, or the Process by which Natural Objects May Be Made to Delineate Themselves without the Aid of the Artist's Pencil	William Henry Fox Talbot English, 1800–1877	Read before the Royal Society, January 31, 1839	other	Europe	false
Locket	Artist unknown American, 19th century	1839/99	photography	Americas	false
Untitled	Artist unknown American, 19th century	1839/60	photography	Americas	false
Untitled	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/60	photography	other	false
Untitled	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/60	photography	other	false
Untitled	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/60	photography	other	false
Untitled	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/60	photography	other	false
Untitled	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/60	photography	other	false
Untitled (Two Women)	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/60	photography	other	false
Untitled	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/60	photography	other	false
Untitled (Young Girl Holding Photograph)	Artist unknown 19th century	1839/99	photography	—	false
Untitled (Portrait of Mother and Two Daughters)	Artist unknown American, 19th century	1839/60	photography	Americas	false
Bodleian Library	William Henry Fox Talbot English, 1800–1877	c. 1843/46	printing_dyeing photography	Europe	false
St. George's Chapel, Windsor	William Henry Fox Talbot English, 1800–1877	c. 1843/47	printing_dyeing photography	Europe	false
The Chess Players	William Henry Fox Talbot English, 1800–1877	c. 1843/47	printing_dyeing photography	Europe	false
Ancient Door, Magdalen College, Oxford	William Henry Fox Talbot English, 1800–1877	c. 1843	printing_dyeing photography	Europe	false
Windsor Castle From Across The River	William Henry Fox Talbot English, 1800–1877	c. 1842/46	other	Europe	false
Composition au chapeau	Hippolyte Bayard French, 1801–1887	c. 1842, printed 1965	printing_dyeing metalwork photography	Europe	false
The Fruit Sellers	William Henry Fox Talbot English, 1800–1877	c. 1842/45	printing_dyeing photography	Europe	false