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Guide to the Schomburg Center's Photographs and Prints Division: Portrait Collection

What is the Portrait Collection?

The Photographs and Prints Division’s Portrait Collection consists of approximately 25,000 portraits of notable African Americans, Africans and Black people of various nationalities, with an emphasis on African Americans. The collection includes candid and formal portraits of each person with colleagues, friends and/or family. Images in the are collection are a mix of original photographs, reproductions, and/or illustrations.

A full list of individuals in the Collection can be accessed by searching for the term "Portrait Collection" in the NYPL Legacy Catalog, narrowed down to "Schomburg Photographs and Prints" under the "Collection" dropdown menu. To find specific people, you can search for individuals' proper names. 

Portrait Collection: Examples on Digital Collections