Photograph Collections

Welcome to the research guide for photograph collections at the Church History Library. The library holds thousands of photographs that represent the Church, its members, its buildings, its organizations, and affiliated events and activities all over the world. Key elements of the library’s photograph collection are early portraiture, early Salt Lake City, and the pioneer era in general.

Thousands of photographs in the collection have been cataloged as individual items. A simple keyword search (person’s name, location name, unit name, and so forth) in the online catalog should be the first step in searching for an image. There are, however, several large collections that may require more in-depth research to identify what you are looking for. This guide provides information on navigating larger collections.

Each section contains resources that are available online and some that are not. Online resources are digitized content that you can access from your computer by clicking on the title. Other resources can be viewed at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. You can access nondigital collection information in the online catalog and request to see the source when you visit the library.

At the Church History Library, historians and technicians digitize hundreds of images every month. If a collection is not currently available digitally, it could be soon. You can request digitization through the Ask Us inquiry form. Some collections are digitized but, because of copyright law, they require that you are logged in to view the digital images and will require permission to download.

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The library has thousands of photos of members and events in local Church units. Some Church units hire professional photographers for important events, but most units have been documented in snapshots by members. If a keyword search is not yielding any results, the key to finding these images is to look in collections of associated people or auxiliaries. Other valuable resources include scrapbooks and photo albums created by the Relief Society, Primary, or Sunday School.

Physical Facilities Department photograph collection, circa 1890–1988 (PH 211)

This digitized collection contains photographs of buildings rented and purchased by the Church. It includes meetinghouses, offices, mission homes, temples, tabernacles, granaries, recreational halls, and so forth. It also includes some architectural drawings and sketches. The finding aid is alphabetical; search by the name of the building or Church unit.

Church local units photograph collection, 1880s-1960s (PH 2000)

This collection contains photographs of ward and branch meetinghouses, Church members, and branch, ward, district, stake, and mission activities Churchwide. It also contains some early mission photographs. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

Sacrament meeting photographs, undated (PH 2017 6)

This collection contains black-and-white and color photographs of members and leaders in chapels and other meeting places coming and going from meetings and greeting each other. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

Meetinghouse photographs, undated (PH 2017 23)

This collection contains black-and-white and color photographs of interiors and exteriors of Latter-day Saint meetinghouses in several countries. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.


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The most common form of missionary portraits for the 19th and early 20th centuries is in the form of a “carte de visite”—a calling card with a picture. Group shots were also popular. If a missionary is not coming up under a search by name, look for a photo album or scrapbook made by a missionary or mission president that served at the same time. Starting in the late 20th century and onward, mission newsletters often contain photos.

Missionary Database

The Missionary Database records the service of approximately 40,000 Latter-day Saint missionaries for the century following the organization of the Church. Individual missionary pages contain personal information, where and when they served, and photographs when available. Profiles may also contain links to digitized journals, letters, and so forth, made available by the Church History Library, the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University, and FamilySearch.

Missionary home missionary group portraits, 1929–1966 (PH 102)

This collection contains portraits of missionaries taken at the Missionary Home in Salt Lake City, Utah. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

Missionary Department photograph files, circa 1860–1980 (PH 2003)

This collection contains photographs of General Authorities and other Latter-day Saints (both missionaries and converts). Remote digital access may be granted on a use/need basis. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

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This is a massive Church-created collection including photographs from many Church programs and organizations as follows:

PH 2017 1 General conference photographs, 1937–2004

PH 2017 2 Area conference photographs, undated

PH 2017 3 Church publications photographs, undated

PH 2017 4 Welfare program photographs, undated

PH 2017 5 Lamanite program photographs, undated

PH 2017 6 Sacrament meeting photographs, undated

PH 2017 7 Family history photographs, undated

PH 2017 8 Priesthood photographs

PH 2017 9 Provo Missionary Training Center missionary program photographs, undated

PH 2017 10 Relief Society photographs

PH 2017 11 Primary Association photographs, undated

PH 2017 12 Sunday School photographs, undated

PH 2017 13 Young Women photographs, undated

PH 2017 14 Scouting program photographs, undated

PH 2017 15 Church Educational System photographs, undated

PH 2017 16 Biographical photographs, undated

PH 2017 17 Church historical events photographs, undated

PH 2017 18 Other church program photographs, undated

PH 2017 19 Church historical sites photographs, undated

PH 2017 20 Corporate identity photographs, undated

PH 2017 21 Exhibits photographs, undated

PH 2017 22 Temple photographs

PH 2017 23 Meetinghouse photographs, undated

PH 2017 24 Other Church facilities photographs, undated

PH 2017 25 Photographs of pageants, plays, films, and other dramatic presentations, undated

PH 2017 26 Photographs of performing groups and tours, undated

PH 2017 27 Photographs of artifacts and objects, undated

PH 2017 28 Photographs of non-Church events, undated

PH 2017 29 Photographs of non-Church sites, undated

PH 2017 30 Miscellaneous photographs, undated

PH 2017 31 Oversize photographs, undated

PH 2017 32 Visual Resources Library slides, undated

This photograph collection and all its series are available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information. Collections in this series may also be listed in other sections of this guide by topical relevance.

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General conference scenes, circa 1940–1970 (PH 101)

This collection contains photographs of general conference scenes held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Includes photos of General Authorities and David O. McKay, The Tabernacle Choir, conference attendees, protesters outside Temple Square, and views of Temple Square. Remote digital access may be granted on a use/need basis. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

General conference photographs, 1937–2004 (PH 2017 1)

This collection, part of the Visual Resources Library, contains black-and-white photographs of sessions in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, conference visitors on Temple Square, and some technical aspects of conference. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

General Conference digital photographs, 2000–2003; 2005–2006 (PH 5863)

This collection of digital photographs contains images of conference visitors, various choirs, General Authorities, and the environment in and around the Conference Center at conference time. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

Conference photographs can also be found in Church periodicals, Deseret News, and Church News photographs. This guide contains more information on accessing Deseret News/Church News photographs.

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General Authority photograph portraits, circa 1870s (PH 7189)

This digitized collection contains photographs, engravings, and calling cards of early Church leaders removed from a photograph album.

General Authority portrait collection, circa 1850–1985 (PH 700)

This collection includes portraits and snapshot views of General Authorities arranged alphabetically by name. This collection does not include Presidents of the Church. Many items in this collection are copyright protected. Some copyright-protected images can be viewed by signing in with your Church Account. Other images require additional permissions. Remote digital access may be granted on a use/need basis. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

Presidency of the Seventy portrait collection, circa 1976–2009 (PH 3827)

This collection contains color portraits taken after 1976, when the First Quorum of the Seventy was reorganized. It includes photographs of the 49 men who served in the Presidency of the Seventy between 1976 and 2007 and portraits of the quorum secretaries. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

Photograph album of LDS Church leaders, circa 1880s–early 1900s (PH 2899)

This collection is a photo album with portraits and engravings of early Church leaders, including Presidents of the Church from John Taylor through Joseph F. Smith. Of note are the engravings of Lucy Mack Smith and her sons Joseph and Hyrum. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

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Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle Choir photograph collection, circa 1900–1993 (PH 372)

This collection contains photographs and scrapbooks of the Choir, individual members, directors, organists, and performances in Salt Lake City and in locations around the world. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

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Physical Facilities Department photograph collection, circa 1890–1988 (PH 211)

This large digitized collection contains photographs of buildings built, purchased, or rented by the Church, including temples, tabernacles, stake offices, meetinghouses, Relief Society halls and granaries, recreation halls, seminaries, institute buildings, and mission homes and offices. It is organized alphabetically by the name of the unit or building.

Salt Lake Temple photographs, 1911 (PH 600)

This digitized collection contains images of the interior of the Salt Lake Temple and the temple grounds taken in 1911.

Missionary Department photograph files, circa 1860–1980 (PH 2003)

This collection contains photographs of Church historic sites, meetinghouses and other Church buildings, monuments, ruins in Mexico and South America, pioneer reenactments, and areas in Utah. Remote digital access may be granted on a use/need basis. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

Church local units photograph collection, 1880s–1960s (PH 2000)

This collection contains photographs of ward and branch meetinghouses, Church members, and branch, ward, district, stake, and mission activities Churchwide. It also contains some early mission photographs. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

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Kenneth R. Mays photograph collection, 1985–2018 (PH 9809)

This digitized collection contains over 35,000 photos taken between 1985 and 2018 documenting historical Church sites around the world. Items in this collection are copyright protected. Copyright-protected images can be viewed by signing in with your Church Account.

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Newspapers can be an important repository of photographs. The Church History Library recently acquired access to many photographs printed in the Deseret News, including the weekly Church News insert. Most library holdings cover 1935 to 2002. Photos after 2002 are still held by the Deseret News. Many of the collections have yet to be cataloged or processed, but individual photographs are available upon request. Deseret News photographs require special permission for use and access. Please contact the library through theAsk Usform to inquire about access and the permission process.

An inventory/index of the photographs is available at the Church History Library. Inquire at the reference desk.

The Utah Historical Society holds the photographs from the Salt Lake Tribune from the 1930s through the 1960s, most of which have been scanned and are available for download in the Salt Lake Tribune Negative Collection. it is well worth checking the Tribune photos, since both local papers often covered the same events.

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Since Salt Lake City was founded by members of the Church, photos of the city have been regularly collected throughout the years, and there are thousands scattered among several library collections. A search for a specific building like “Salt Lake Temple” or “Gardo House” can bring up many of those images. There may be additional photos in collections labeled as “Views of Salt Lake City” or ”street scenes.” Below are some of the more significant collections.

Charles W. Carter glass negative collection, circa 1860–1900 (PH 1300)

This comprehensive digitized collection contains portraits of residents of Salt Lake City and Utah, as well as photographs of activities, buildings, homes, Temple Square, the Great Salt Lake and its resorts, Fort Douglas, several Utah communities, and railroads. Also includes photographs of drawings, paintings, lithographs, cartoons, and some photographs by other photographers.

Salt Lake City photograph collection, circa 1857–1960s (PH 350)

This digitized collection contains photographs of the city including downtown streets, businesses, buildings, churches, monuments, schools, and parks.

Temple Square photographs, circa 1870–1981 (PH 362)

This digitized collection contains several photographs documenting the changes on Temple Square through the years. Photographs include aerial and ground-level views of the buildings and landscape, as well as General Authorities and other people who have worked on or around Temple Square.

Charles R. Savage photographs, circa 1866–1906 (PH 500)

This digitized collection brought together by Church archivists includes views of Salt Lake City, Utah, including the 1897 Pioneer Day parade, the Great Salt Lake, and Fort Douglas. There are also photographs of other Utah cities, landmarks, and mining operations. There are also views of the surrounding states and portraits of American Indians.

Salt Lake City, circa 1869 (PH 563)

This digitized collection contains views of businesses and homes in downtown Salt Lake City.

Utah scenes, circa 1892 (PH 597)

A small digitized collection of photographs with views of Salt Lake buildings and local landmarks, including caves on the beach of the Great Salt Lake.

Utah scenes, circa 1865–1869 (PH 280 3)

This small collection contains very early views of a group of missionaries heading to Europe, wagon trains, Salt Lake City, and Camp Douglas. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

Views of early Salt Lake City, circa 1858 (PH 676)

A digitized collection of photographs (most are 20th-century copies of 19th-century photographs) collected by Howard R. Driggs and containing Salt Lake City buildings and the surrounding areas.

Views of Salt Lake City, circa 1867 (PH 684)

This digitized collection contains panoramic views of the city taken from the top of the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

Photographs of Salt Lake City, circa 1865 (PH 688)

This digitized collection contains views of several downtown buildings, businesses, and residences.

Salt Lake City and vicinity, circa 1861–1864 (PH 300)

This collection contains views of the old Tabernacle and bowery on Temple Square, the Council House, and other buildings on Main Street. File also includes views of the surrounding mountains and the Great Salt Lake. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

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The Church History Library has extensive holdings of portraits dating back to the mid-19th century. The collections are particularly strong in including portraits of early Church leaders and early citizens of Utah. The following are some of the significant collections:

Daguerreotype collection, circa 1850s–1860s (PH 100)

This digitized collection contains portraits of Church leaders, members, and unidentified individuals.

Savage and Ottinger collection of studio portraits, circa 1862–1872 (PH 200)

This is an archivist-compiled digitized collection of cartes-de-visite photographs of General Authorities, actors, actresses, and unidentified individuals.

Engraved portrait collection, circa 1890 (PH 327)

This digitized collection contains engraved portraits of civic and Church leaders in Utah.

Bathsheba W. Bigler Smith photograph collection, circa 1865–1900 (PH 8004)

This digitized collection contains photographs collected by Bathsheba W. Smith and her granddaughter of family members, Church leaders, and other individuals.

Joseph Smith likeness collection, circa 1840–1980 (PH 360)

This unique collection contains engravings and photographs of renderings and sculptures of Joseph Smith, including his death mask and grave site. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

Fox and Symons portraits, circa 1880s–early 1900s (PH 1400)

Portraits of men and women; General Authorities, including copied portraits of Joseph and Hyrum Smith and Brigham Young; local Church leaders; choirs; and students. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

Portrait collection, circa 1840– (PH 1700)

This collection contains portraits of members, missionaries, Church leaders, and others relating to Utah history. Each portrait in this collection has its own bibliographic entry and call number beginning with PH 1700. Many of the individual photographs are available digitally. Search “PH 1700” in the Church History Catalog. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

LDS servicemen photographs, circa 1942–1980s (CR 33 20)

This collection contains photographs of Latter-day Saint servicemen and chaplains in peacetime and wartime in various locations around the world. Available upon request. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

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The Church History Library has thousands of commercially produced postcards, many of which have been cataloged individually and can be found through a keyword search. Some of them have been compiled into comprehensive collections.

[Postcard collection] (23600379)

This digitized collection contains postcards with the Church or its members as subjects. Some items in this collection are copyright protected. Copyright-protected images can be viewed by signing in with your Church Account.

Jay Burrup postcard collection, circa 1898–2000 (MS 22577)

This collection gathered by library employee Jay Burrup contains postcards of Church historic sites across the United States, people, caricatures and cartoons, and more. Available upon request. Remote digital access may be granted on a use/need basis. Contact us through the Ask Us form for more information.

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Materials in the Church History Catalog are subject to differing restrictions on the rights to use, copy, publish, or distribute them. It is the researcher’s obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when using, copying, publishing, or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library’s collections. Here is some helpful information for using photographs.

Photos that have been scanned and posted in the Church History Catalog and have a “No Known Copyright holder” determination are available for download, and patrons do not need to seek permission to use them. Nineteenth-century photographs are in the public domain and would fall into this category.

If copyright is held by the Church (usually designated with “IRI”), you can seek permission by submitting a request at permissions.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Once permission has been granted in the form of a letter, the patron submits the letter to the library, and a copy can be supplied to the patron.

If copyright of an image is held by another rights holder (as with Deseret News photos and postcards), the patron will need to seek the permission of that rights holder.

Ask Us any questions regarding copyright or usage.

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