Finding Historic Colorado Photographs

There are many places to go if you are looking for historic photographs of Colorado.  A number of libraries and archives have digitized their photographs, so a general internet search will often yield many results.  History Colorado has created a database which includes many of their digitized photographs, along with other artifacts.  Also, the Denver Public Library’s Western History and Genealogy Collection has a huge photo collection online.  Other agencies have photographs that have not been digitized.  The Colorado State Archives has many photos but you will need to contact them to retrieve them.

If you aren’t searching for anything specific and just want to look at historic photos, our library has a couple of excellent books you can check out.  Colorado:  A History in Photographs (University Press of Colorado, 2005) presents an illustrated history of the state, while other books, such as Trials and Triumphs:  A Colorado Portrait of the Great Depression, with FSA Photographs (University Press of Colorado, 1993) present photos on specific subjects and time periods.  Search our library’s online catalog for more titles.