History Colorado's Subject Collection of historic photographs covers most aspects of Colorado history. These positive prints were either made by the photographer or are copy prints. They are stored in envelopes arranged by subject heading and are available to view in the Stephen H. Hart Library and Research Center.

Researchers may browse the index to the Subject Collection using the headings on the left hand side of your screen. Please note that this index is just a reference list and does not include links to online images.

The majority of our Photography Collection has not yet been digitized. However, a portion of the collection is available to view online. Click here to view our digitized photographs.

Subject Collection Tips

Places
The collection is geographically oriented whenever possible. Photographs of cities and towns are filed under the heading "Cities and Towns" (C-). Photos of Colorado scenery are filed under "Natural Features" (NF).

People
Portraits of individuals are filed under "Biographical Portrait File" (BPF) and are arranged alphabetically by last name. Portraits of American Indians are filed alphabetically by name under "Indian Biographical File" (IBF). Photographs of people engaging in activities may be found under headings such as "Occupations," "Organizations," "Recreation," "Celebrations," "Children," or "Clothing."

Dates
Many of the photographs in this collection are undated. If a date is known, it will be indicated on the back of the photograph. In some cases, dated photographs are grouped, as in C-Denver-1870s or Clothing-1890s.