King County Archives
206-296-1538
archives@kingcounty.gov   
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Photograph Collections at the King County Archives

The King County Archives holds over 25,000 photographic images in its collections: prints, negatives, slides, and digital images. Information about these images is maintained in the Archives' collection database.

Contact the Archives for assistance in researching the photograph collection or to view our many photographs that are not available online. For examples of the type of photographs we hold, browse some selected images below:

About King County's Photographs

Images in these collections were created by county agencies as part of their program or functional responsibilities. The King County Archives organizes photographs in relation to the agencies that created them or to the programs that they document.

Photographs can be used for purposes not intended by their creators. For instance, a series of bridge photographs can document the histories of bridges at specific county sites. The photographs can also incidentally show such subjects as people, animals, homes and businesses, land uses, the natural environment, advertising signs, railroads, agriculture, floods, and so on.

County Executive

spellman Series 413: County Executive John Spellman photograph files, 1968-1969

The Kingdome

kingdome1 Series 473: Department of Stadium Administration promotional materials, 1972-2000

Parks

parks Series 467: Park System photograph files, 1948-1998

seahurst Series 427: Design Commission--Seahurst Park project file, 1971-1979

Public Health

health Series 275: Seattle-King County Department of Public Health photograph files, 1909-1970

Public Works

brittain Series 400: Department of Public Works project photographs [Brittain Collection], 1900-2002

levee Series 412: Department of Public Works levee inspection files, 1988-1990

communityrelations Series 415: Department of Public Works -- Community Relations and Communications photograph files

solidwaste Series 441: Department of Public Works -- Solid Waste Division photograph files

bridges Series 474: Road Engineer bridge files: photographs, 1904-1988

93_1_0118 Series 375: Road Engineer wharf files, 1906-1979

Aerial Photographs

Two types of aerial photographs are found in the photograph collections of the King County Archives:

1. Photographs taken systematically as part of an aerial mapping project, usually for tax assessment purposes. The King County Archives holds photographs from projects in 1936 and 1961 (partial). These photographed are arranged by section-township-range coordinates.

aerial
Section 33, Township 21, Range 5 (south King County), 1936.

 2. Photographs taken incidentally as part of a county project or program such as:

  • Land acquisition for park or trail development
  • Farmland preservation
  • Road or street construction or improvement

eastgate
Eastgate Park and surrounding area, Bellevue, early 1970s.

Using keywords such as road and street names, park names, or other identifiers, you may be able to find an aerial photograph of the object of your research if it was or is:

  • In unincorporated King County
  • Near a county structure, project, or facility
  • On or near county-owned land

Please contact the Archives for assistance in accessing aerial photographs.