In 1915, when the museum began to deal with photographs systematically, it already contained 40 collections comprising some 1,900 photographs. Even then, photography was considered an «excellent medium to provide an insight into the culture represented». Today, the photo archives contain exceptional stocks of around 250,000 field research photos, about 48,000 of them historic shots taken before 1945. Apart from the main areas - Oceania, Africa and Indonesia - the collection also covers America, Australia, Asia/South-East Asia, the Polar peoples and Europe. Research trips are documented by a comprehensive series of publications. The archives are made available for study purposes.			More information Photo gallery photo archives