An old proverb states that “the eyes are the windows into the soul.” A genealogy corollary is that “a photo is a window into the lives of your ancestors.”
I love old photos, whether they are portraits of my ancestors or historical photos of the period when they lived. And it is important to a complete research that one attempts to understand the environment that surrounds our ancestors’ lives if one wants to truly appreciate what they went through.
So where can they be found? Obviously, the best resource is our own photo albums and those that our relatives possess. But what about other resources? Many archives, historical societies, libraries, and genealogical societies have collections of old photos. And in the past few years, there has been a massive movement toward making these historical photo collections available online. Some have search capabilities where you can actually put in a surname or a location, the name of a building, or a historical event and find what is available.
For the state of Massachusetts, what collections are available for you to browse and/or search online? Here is a list of sites to start with. Please feel free to add in the comments other online resources that you might be aware of in the state.
Please be aware that there may be very strict rules regarding downloading or other use of the images that you may find. Copyright and other legal protections may be in force. Make sure that you read the limitations of use for any image that you find in these collections and wish to download and/or copy. It is your responsibility to adhere to the rules for all of these collections.
Please note that links to these sites may change in the future. The author (me) will not be constantly checking and updating these links, so if you find a broken link, please use your favorite search engine to locate the new link.
(Updated April 2023)
Massachusetts Historical Photo Archives
- Andover Center for History and Culture – Andover
- Arlington Historical Photograph Collection, c. 1885 – 1992
- Arlington Historical Society – Arlington
- Bedford Historical Society – Bedford
- Beverly Public Library, Beverly – Digital Heritage
- Billerica Photographs
- Boston Athenæum Digital Collections
- Boston City Photo Archives
- Boston History of Segregation
- Boston Public Library Photo Albums
- Boston Public Library Photo Collections
- Boston Symphony Orchestra Image Archives
- Boston Vintage Postcards
- Bridgewater Image Gallery
- Bridgewater State University Digital Projects
- Cambridge Historical Commission Photos
- Cambridge Historical Society
- Center for Lowell History
- Chatham Historical Society – Chatham
- Chicopee Archives Online – Photo Collections
- City of Boston Archives
- City of Boston Online Collections
- City of Somerville Archives
- Daguerreotypes at Harvard
- Dennis Historical Society – Photos
- Digital Amherst Photograph Collections
- Digital Commonwealth
- Dorchester Historical Society – Dorchester
- Durham Museum Photo Archive
- Duxbury Rural & Historical Society Photo Collection
- Everett Public Libraries, Everett – Digital Heritage
- Fitchburg Historical Society – Fitchburg
- Fitchburg State University General Photograph Collection
- Five Colleges and Historic Deerfield Museum Consortium – Photos
- Friends of Quabbin Galleries
- Granville History Digital Collection
- Greater Barrington Historical Society Photo Archives
- Greater Boston Portuguese-American Digital Archive
- Hancock Shaker Village – Pittsfield
- Harvard Digital Collections
- Haverhill Public Library Image Archive
- Historic Beverly – Beverly
- Historic Boston Photos
- Historic Framingham Photos
- Historic New England
- Historic Newton – Newton
- Historic Northampton Museum – Northampton
- Historic Photos of Newburyport
- Historical Images of Easton
- Hopkinton Historical Biblioboard Collections
- Hudson Historical Society – Hudson
- Images of Worcester
- Ipswich Historic Photos
- Lawrence History Center Photograph Collection
- Lesley University Digital Image Collection
- Lexington Historic Photos
- Lexington Historical Society – Lexington
- LGBTQ History Project Photos
- Library of Congress Prints & Photographs – Massachusetts
- Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog
- Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield – Digital Heritage
- Lynn Public Library Image Collection
- Lynn Public Library, Lynn – Digital Heritage
- Lynnfield Public Library, Lynnfield – Digital Heritage
- Marblehead Museum – Marblehead
- Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association – Oak Bluffs
- Massachusetts Ancient Faces
- Massachusetts Archives – Abandoned Building Photography
- Massachusetts Dead Fred
- Massachusetts Historical Society
- Massachusetts State Library Photo Albums
- Massachusetts State Library Photographs
- Massachusetts, DP.LA Photos
- Massachusetts, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives
- Mattapoisett Historical Society – Mattapoisett
- Maynard Historical Society Archives
- Melrose Public Library, Melrose – Digital Heritage
- Memorial Hall Museum Online
- Monson Historical Society – Monson
- Mount Auburn Cemetery – Cambridge
- National Archives – Digital Photograph Collections
- Newton Digital Photographs
- Northeastern University Digital Collections
- Notable Women of Simmons University Digital Scrapbook Collection
- Peabody Institute Library of Danvers – Digital Heritage
- Peabody Institute Library – Peabody
- Peabody Institute Library, Peabody – Digital Heritage
- Phillips Academy, Andover – Digital Heritage
- Photographs 17th and 18th Century Structures in Massachusetts
- Plymouth Tercentenary Photograph Collection
- Reading Public Library, Reading – Digital Heritage
- Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology – Andover
- SAILS Library Network Photos
- Salem Public Library, Salem – Digital Heritage
- Salem State University Archives
- Salem State University Flickr
- Salisbury Image Collection
- Sandwich Postcard Collection
- Saugus Public Library, Saugus – Digital Heritage
- Sawyer Free Library, Gloucester – Digital Heritage
- Sippican Historical Society – Marion
- Sisters of Notre Dame Training School – Ipswich
- Smithsonian Images
- Somerville Public Library Photo Albums
- Southbridge Historical Photos
- Southbridge Photo Collections
- Southeastern New England – Spinner Photograph Collections
- Springfield College Digital Collections
- Springfield Museums – Springfield
- Sterling Photo Archives
- Stoneham Public Library, Stoneham – Digital Heritage
- Swampscott Historic Photos
- Swampscott Public Library, Swampscott – Digital Heritage
- Town of Marblehead Historical Commission – Marblehead
- UMass Amherst Photographic Collections
- UMass Boston – Open Archives
- UMass Lowell Libraries Archival Collections
- Vintage Aerial Photos – Massachusetts
- Wellfleet Historical Society – Wellfleet
- Westborough Public Library Photograph Collections
- Western Massachusetts Image Museum
- Westford Museum & Historical Society – Westford
- Westport Historical Society – Westport
- Weymouth Historic Gallery
- Williamstown Historical Museum – Williamstown
- Winchester Archival Center – Winchester
- Winthrop Public Library, Winthrop – Digital Heritage
- Woburn Public Library – Woburn
- Worcester Historical Museum – Worcester
- World War I Soldier Photographs
For historic photos from other states and articles about photo research, please visit the Photos page.
For all Free Massachusetts Links, click on the category of interest:
Newspapers
Yearbooks
Births
Marriages
Deaths
BMD Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
Church Records
Coroner Records
Criminal Records
Digital Archives
Directories
Divorce Records
Immigration Records
Institutional Records
Military Records
Mortuary Records
Naturalizations
Obituaries
Photos
Probate and Wills
School Records
Tax Records
Voter Records
