Subjects are overwhelmingly restricted to works of art by British painters and sculptors, the majority of which are in the care of the Paintings and Sculpture Department. Photographs document and contextualize objects in the collections of the Center’s Department of Paintings and Sculpture and are also used for teaching, research, and public programs. Holdings include black-and-white prints, some color prints, and color slide transparencies of objects in the collection; black-and-white prints, some color prints, and color slide transparencies of comparative materials relating to objects in the collection; photographs of works of art offered for sale or acquisition by gift or donation. All images are also available in digital form. Except for the slide transparencies, most prints are kept in the object and artists’ files.

In many cases, groups of photographs document works of art whose condition and sometimes appearance has changed, is changing, and will inevitably continue to change very gradually, making this record important to scholars.