Russell Sturgis Photograph Collection

The Russell Sturgis Photograph Collection was purchased in 1909 from the estate of Russell Sturgis (1836-1909), a prominent American architect and a leading figure in both the promotion and refinement of architectural criticism at the turn of the 20th century.

A well-versed world traveler, celebrated public speaker, and prolific writer, Sturgis began collecting photographic prints in 1858 to compliment his ever-growing library on architectural subjects.

By judiciously selecting only the choicest works by the most praised photographers and photographic editors of the time, Sturgis assembled perhaps the most thoroughly exhaustive and first-rate collection of its kind in America.

While the collection of approximately 15,000 images largely focuses on European architectural details, topographical views, sculpture, and painting, there are also images from cities and archaeological sites in Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, and South America.