University Archives Nitrate Negative Collection

Numbering over 1800 items, the collection of nitrate photographic negatives held by Northwestern University Archives was digitized during 2020-2021 by the Repository and Digital Curation unit of Northwestern University Libraries. Original negatives, upon completion of that digitization project, were discarded according to Northwestern University’s hazardous materials safety protocols.

Acquired over decades from a variety of sources, principally Northwestern University’s public relations units and as separations from the manuscript collections of Northwestern faculty and administrators, the photographic negatives in nitrate format date to the period of that format’s popularity, circa 1890 to circa 1950. Subjects represented in the collection reflect a variety of Northwestern-affiliated people and scenes concentrated by date during the early decades of the 20th century. These include photographic portraits of Northwestern University administrators, faculty, and associates; depictions of campus buildings, landscapes, and scenes; and representations of external, non-Northwestern sites as encountered during the travels of individuals and families connected in some fashion to Northwestern.