About the Photochrom Prints

The Photochrom Print Collection has almost 6,000 views of Europe and the Middle East and 500 views of North America. Published primarily from the 1890s to 1910s, these prints were created by the Photoglob Company in Zürich, Switzerland, and the Detroit Publishing Company in Michigan. The richly colored images look like photographs but are actually ink-based photolithographs, usually 6.5 x 9 inches.

Like postcards, the photochroms feature subjects that appeal to travelers, including landscapes, architecture, street scenes, and daily life and culture. The prints were sold as souvenirs and often collected in albums or framed for display.

The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division assembled this collection from two sources that provided prints in mint condition. In 1985, the prints of Europe and the Middle East were purchased from the Galerie Muriset in Switzerland. In 2004, Howard L. Gottlieb generously donated the North American views. Additional photochroms can be found in the collections listed in the Related Resources section.

Information about obtaining copies is available through the “How to Order” link near the top of each catalog record.

Images displayed at the top: 1) Moorish coffee house, Algiers, Algeria, between ca. 1890 and ca. 1900. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsc.05547 2) Dalen, Telemarken (i.e, Telemark), Norway, between ca. 1890 and ca. 1900. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsc.06243.