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General Photograph Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 0000-0062

Scope and Contents

The General Photographs Collection consists of consists of 40 linear feet of prints, transparencies and negatives, mainly black and white, documenting the history of Carnegie Mellon University from the early 1900s to the 2000s. Most photographs are undated. Subjects include Carnegie Mellon University faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni, benefactors, and visitors; academic programs, research centers and university offices; events, athletics, student activities, reunions, commencements, and other activities; and campus scenes, campus architecture, and Pittsburgh views.

The collection is arranged into 11 series: Athletics Campus Buildings Campus Views People Colleges and Research Centers Student Activities Events World Wars University Offices and Programs Miscellaneous Negatives and Transparencies

Dates

  • circa 1900-2006

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright will be determined on a case by case basis.

Extent

40.0 Linear feet (79 boxes)

Language

English

Overview

The General Photographs Collection consists of consists of prints, transparencies, and negatives documenting the history of Carnegie Mellon University from the early 1900s to the 2000s. Subjects include Carnegie Mellon University faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni, benefactors, and visitors; academic programs, research centers and university offices; events, athletics, student activities, reunions, commencements, and other activities; and campus scenes, campus architecture, and Pittsburgh views.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The provenance for the bulk of the collection is unknown. Many of the photographs seem to have been generated for various University publications, including the Thistle yearbooks, Carnegie Mellon News, and admissions brochures. A few files are identified as donations from alumni or their families. Also included are some photographs separated from other University Archives collections.

Post-1983 35mm negatives were transferred to the archives by Photography and Graphic Services in 2015.

Accruals

Further additions to this collection are expected.

Related Archival Materials

Photographs documenting Carnege Mellon University can also be found in School of Drama Photographs Collection and the Marketing and Communications Photograph Collection.

Some images in this collection carry a 5-digit reference number, the first two digits of which indicate what year they were taken (for example, print 76-001 was shot in 1976). Most of the prints with this type of reference number have a matching 35 mm negative series.

The School of Drama related negatives that were originally housed in the Negatives and Transparencies series within the General Photograph Collection have been relocated and integrated to the School of Drama Photograph collection as its own series due to scope.

Processing Information

The original processor of the collection is unknown. The collection has been partially reprocessed by Katherine Barbera (Started 7/15/2013) and Laure Bukh (started 10/24/2013). Approximately 3 feet of unprocessed photographic material, mostly from the 1980s forward, were integrated to the collection at that stage.

Title
Carnegie Mellon University General Photograph Collection, c. 1900-2006
Subtitle
0000.62
Status
Under Revision
Author
Finding aid prepared by Amy Berrish
Date
November 2014
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Carnegie Mellon University Archives Repository

Contact:
4909 Frew St
Pittsburgh PA 15213
(412) 268-5021