(This page's most recent update is
June 2024)
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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. It is important to 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 towards 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 Washington, 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.
Washington Historical Photo Archives
- Almira Historic Photos
- American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Collection – Images
- Anacortes Museum – Anacortes
- Asahel Curtis Photo Company Photographs
- Bellingham Historic Images
- Benton County Old Photos
- Bureau of Indian Affairs – Photographs – Washington
- Central Washington University Community Projects Photo Collections
- City of Anacortes Photos
- Civil Rights & Labor History Consortium – Photo and Document Gallery
- Clark County Historical Museum Photograph Collection
- Columbia Basin, A M Kendrick Photo Collection
- Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive
- Crossroads on the Columbia Photograph Collection
- Duvall Historical Society Photos
- Eastside Heritage Center – Bellevue
- Ellensburg History Photographs
- Everett and Snohomish County Photo Collections
- Everett Public Library Family Photos
- Fall City Historical Society Photos
- Granite Falls Historical Society Photos
- Grays Harbor Area Historical Photo Collection
- Grays Harbor County Old Postcards and Photographs
- Historic Photos Washington
- History Link Photographs
- Issaquah History Museum Photos
- Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Photograph Collections
- King County Photo Archives
- King County Photograph Collections
- King County Snapshots
- Kitsap Vintage Photos
- Lacey Museum Photos
- Library of Congress Prints & Photographs – Washington
- Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog
- Longview Public Library Archive Collections
- McNeil Island Corrections Center Photograph Collection
- Migrant Labor Digital Collection – Images
- Moses Lake Museum & Art Center Photos
- Mukilteo Historical Society – Mukilteo
- Museum of History and Industry Photo Archives
- National Archives – Digital Photograph Collections
- Nordic Heritage Museum Photos
- North Olympic Library System Historic Images
- Northwest Digital Archives
- Northwest Digital Collections
- Northwest Photograph Collection
- Old Yakima Photos
- Olympia History Photo Collection
- Pend Oreille County Photos
- Port of Bellingham Photograph Collection
- Providence Archives
- Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society – Seattle
- Rainier Valley Historical Society – Seattle
- Redmond Historical Society Photos
- Ritzville Public Library Digital Photograph Collections
- Roslyn African American History Photographs
- Seattle Municipal Archives Photo Archives
- Seattle Neighborhoods Photo Collection
- Seattle Public Library Local History
- Shafer Historical Museum – Winthrop
- Shanaman Sports Museum – Puyallup
- Skykomish Historical Society – Skykomish
- Smithsonian Images
- Sno-Isle Historical Photo Collections
- Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society – North Bend
- Spokane City Historic Preservation Photographic Collection
- Spokane County Photos
- Spokane Old Photos
- Stevens County Photos
- Tacoma Historic Photos
- Tacoma Historical Society – Tacoma
- Tacoma Public Library Image Archive
- Tacoma Then and Again: Rephotographing the City of Destiny
- The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History
- Timberland Regional Library Digital Collection
- Two Rivers Heritage Museum Photographs Collection
- University of Washington Cities and Buildings Database
- University of Washington Digital Collections
- University of Washington Libraries Photo Albums
- Vancouver Barracks Military Association Photographs Collection
- Vintage Aerial Photos – Washington
- Vintage Seattle
- Washington Ancient Faces
- Washington Dead Fred
- Washington General Subjects Photograph Collection
- Washington Military Department Photograph Collection
- Washington Old Family Photos
- Washington Penny Postcards
- Washington Rural Heritage
- Washington State – Fine Art Prints of Historical Photos
- Washington State Historical Society Collections
- Washington State Library Photograph Collection
- Washington State Localities Photographs
- Washington State University – Museum of Art – Pullman
- Washington State University Digital Collections
- Washington, DP.LA Photos
- Washington, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives
- Western Washington University Archives
- White River Valley Historical Museum Photos
- Women’s History Consortium – Image Collection
- WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences Photo Library
- WSU Vancouver Historic Photographs and Documents Collection
- WSU Vancouver Slides Collection
- Yakima County Early Postcards & Photos
- Yakima Memory Photographs
For historical photos from other states as well as articles about photo research, please visit the Photos page.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!