Photos and Prints

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Photograph and Print Collections at the Filson

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Banner of images from the Photography collection

Dating from the 1840s to the present, the Filson’s photograph and print collections document agriculture, commerce and industry, transportation, politics, family histories, and aspects of social and cultural histories from the Ohio River Valley region and abroad.  A large portion of our photograph collection is comprised of Louisville and Southern Indiana family photos which include a wide array of formats, from daguerreotypes to tintypes, candid snapshots and photograph albums, to professional studio portraits. Our print collection is compiled of Harper’s Weekly (1857-1916) engravings with a strong emphasis on Kentucky and the Civil War, etchings, lithographs & chromolithographs, and posters.

If you can’t find what you are looking for or have more in-depth research question please contact, contact Heather J. Potter, Curator of Photographs and Prints.

Collections Overview

PhotographsPrints
  • Family Photograph
  • Subject based prints
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  • Business Photograph
  • Commercially produced prints & posters
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  • Church / Organizational Photographs
  • Advertising & Marketing prints & posters
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  • Documentary Photographs
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  • Art Photography
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    Digital Collections

    The Filson’s Online Image Database contains highlights from the Photograph, Print, and Museum Collections. It does not contain every item in these collections; records are added frequently.

    Collection Highlights

    Image of African American family sitting on front porch. From the Lusby Family Photograph collection.

    African American History and Culture: The Filson has an extensive record of collecting, preserving, and sharing important work on Black history in Kentucky. Our collections contain materials and perspectives on Black businesses, artists, entertainers, architects, educators, churches, families, and more. The African American History Initiative, launched in 2023, will allow the Filson Historical Society to work alongside institutional and community partners to more fully collect, preserve, and share the significant stories of Black history and culture in Louisville, Kentucky, Southern Indiana, and the Ohio Valley region.

    Image of downtown Louisville in the 1950s. Part of the Ivey Watkins Cousins Negative Collection.

    Ivey Watkins Cousins Negative Collection: Ivey W. Cousins, a native of Danville, Va., retired as a leaf tobacco buyer and dealer in 1944 and moved to Louisville, Ky. While living in his adopted city, he ran the Louisville Service Club’s hobby shop and began taking photographs of Louisville scenes. His photographs recorded street scenes and buildings primarily in downtown Louisville from Broadway north to Main Street, and on the main north-south streets in this area. Many of the scenes photographed no longer exist because of urban renewal, construction of expressways, and expansion of the medical center/hospital complex east of the central business district.

    Image of early Jefferson County taken by Rogers Clark Ballard Thurston.

    Jefferson County, Kentucky Photographs: This series of photos is from the Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston (1858-1946) Photograph Collection documenting early Jefferson County from 1902-1942.

    Image of 4 African American women standing next to each other looking at the camera. Part of the Lusby Family photo collection.

    Lusby Family Photograph Collection: Born into slavery in Owenton, Ky. Thaddeus Stephens Lusby Sr. (1856-1941) became a builder at the turn of the century. In 1900 Lusby Sr. moved his family to Louisville where he started a contracting business and built his family home at 353 Grand Avenue. The collection is compiled of Lusby family members including his wife Emma Parrish (1855-1927), and their children Stella Lusby (1877-1958); Nettie Lusby Plato (1879-1924), the first wife of prominent, African-American architect and builder, Samuel Plato; Martha Lusby McElroy (1885-1964), Stephens Lusby, Jr. (1888-1953); and Mary Lusby Reed (1894-1987), a teacher who taught in both Louisville public schools and the Union County, Kentucky school system. The bulk of the collection is of Thaddeus Lusby Reed (1930-2002), the son of Mary Lusby and Ernest Ellsworth Reed.

    Image of a tour of Mammoth cave in 1866. Part of the Mammoth Cave photograph collection.

    Mammoth Cave photographs: Photographs documenting Mammoth Cave, the longest known cave system in the world, located in west-central Kentucky. Of note are Cincinnati, OH photographer Charles Waldack’s stereocard views, “Magnesium Light Views in Mammoth Cave,” 1866 and early Mammoth Cave glass lantern slides, ca. 1889-1890 created by New Albany, IN photographer Ben Hains.

    Postcard depicts 2 steamboats on the Ohio River about to pass under the K&I Railroad Bridge. Image is part of the Postcard Collection.

    Postcard Collection: This collection includes various views from around Louisville, Kentucky, and Southern Indiana dating from the early 1900s through modern day.

    Online Photograph Exhibitions

    Before the Wrecking Ball. Photo exhibit.
    Before the Wrecking Ball. Photo exhibit.
    Breaking the Mold: Sculptor Enid Yandell. Online Digital Photo Exhibit.
    Breaking the Mold: Sculptor Enid Yandell. Online Digital Photo Exhibit.
    History of the Louisville Legion. Online DIgital Photo Exhibit
    History of the Louisville Legion. Online DIgital Photo Exhibit
    Mammoth Life and Accident, Co. Digital Exhibit
    Mammoth Life and Accident, Co. Digital Exhibit
    Paul Gunter: Studio Portraiture and Art Photography Digital Exhibit
    Paul Gunter: Studio Portraiture and Art Photography Digital Exhibit

    Presentations

    Photograph Finding Aids

    Finding aids to a portion of our photograph collections are available online; you can conduct a search or browse at the linked page, which also includes manuscript. Photograph collection finding aids provide an overview of the collection, along with a container list, but no digital images. You can access a portion of our photo & print Findings Aids online.

    Other Visual Material Resources

    External Resources

    The following links are external of the Filson but they are helpful websites that detail how to care for family archives and identify photographic and print based materials:

    Visit the Filson

    Open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm

    The Filson will also be closed starting at noon on Friday May 3rd for Oaks Day.

    The Filson is closed to the Public the 3rd Friday of every month.

    1310 S. 3rd St., Louisville, KY 40208
    (502) 635-5083

    Plan Your Visit to the Filson!  To register or purchase tickets for our events, please visit our Events Page.

    The Research Library is open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4:30pm; we are closed on the third Friday of each month. Appointments are not required, but feel free to reserve a seat online – learn more here.  We also provide remote research services; please email gro.l1713876193aciro1713876193tsihn1713876193oslif1713876193@hcra1713876193eser1713876193.

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