imagesphotographyhistoricalarchivesmetadatacultural-heritagemuseumsdigitizationpublic-domainglobal
Historical Photograph Archive Metadata
1840–2024
Source, license and coverage
Supplier documentation. These claims are separate from the automated sample score. A listing edit date is not a data freshness date.
- License
- Not documented — confirm reuse terms with the seller
- Source / creator
- Supplier-cited: Rijksmuseum; Smithsonian
- Collection method
- uploaded
- Coverage / snapshot
- 1840–2024
- Data last updated
- Not documented
- Update schedule
- Not documented
Source attribution is supplier-reported. The source link identifies publisher documentation; it does not independently verify this uploaded extract. Other cited publishers: Smithsonian: https://www.si.edu/openaccess
Sample structure score: 97.8 / 100
This automated check describes the inspected sample, not factual accuracy, legal rights, representativeness, or the quality of the entire dataset. It is not a customer rating.
Assessed 10 sample records (CSV) on 2026-10-09. All records in the provided sample were checked.
| Check | Points | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Populated cells | 47.8 / 50 | 287 of 300 top-level cells contain a value. Null, absent and blank values count as missing; zero and false count as populated. |
| Consistent value types | 30 / 30 | 287 of 287 populated cells match their column's most common observed type. Types are inferred, not checked against real-world truth. |
| Consistent record shape | 20 / 20 | 10 of 10 records have the expected fields. CSV/TSV use the header width; JSON uses the union of observed keys. |
Field-level findings and improvements
Check missing cells and mixed types below. Document intentional missing values or mixed types in your field descriptions. Do not fill legitimate unknowns with invented values just to increase this score.
| Field | Missing cells | Most common type | Other populated types |
|---|---|---|---|
| record_id | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| archive_name | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| archive_city | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| archive_country | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| archive_continent | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| accession_number | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| photographer | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| year_created | 0 / 10 | number | 0 / 10 |
| month_created | 7 / 10 | number | 0 / 3 |
| subject_city | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| subject_country | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| primary_subject | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| secondary_subject | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| medium | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| color_mode | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| width_cm | 1 / 10 | number | 0 / 9 |
| height_cm | 1 / 10 | number | 0 / 9 |
| condition | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| historical_period | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| is_public_domain | 0 / 10 | boolean | 0 / 10 |
| has_digital_scan | 0 / 10 | boolean | 0 / 10 |
| digital_resolution_dpi | 1 / 10 | number | 0 / 9 |
| pixel_width | 1 / 10 | number | 0 / 9 |
| pixel_height | 1 / 10 | number | 0 / 9 |
| file_size_mb | 1 / 10 | number | 0 / 9 |
| collection_name | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
| significance_score | 0 / 10 | number | 0 / 10 |
| exhibition_count | 0 / 10 | number | 0 / 10 |
| description_available | 0 / 10 | boolean | 0 / 10 |
| rights_status | 0 / 10 | string | 0 / 10 |
About this data
Consolidated metadata for 15,000 historical photographs from 30 major archives across 6 continents, spanning 1840–2024. Records include 30 fields covering provenance, physical properties, digitization status, 15 photographic media types, 45 subject classifications, condition assessments, rights status, and historical significance scoring.
Retrieve with your agent or Python
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Download the Python examplepython3 retrieve-dataset.py 7f61ab8a-f603-4eb5-9210-be334ba5000b --output dataset.bin
Full supplier documentation
Original supplier listing: Historical Photograph Archive Metadata — 30 Archives, 6 Continents (1840–2024)
Consolidated metadata catalog of 15,000 historical photographs from 30 major archives across 6 continents, spanning nearly two centuries of photographic history from the daguerreotype era to the digital age.
## Sources
- **Library of Congress**: American historical photography, Civil War documentation, FSA/OWI collection
- **National Archives UK / Imperial War Museum**: British colonial and wartime photography
- **Bibliothèque nationale de France / Musée d'Orsay**: French photographic heritage, early pictorialism
- **Getty Research Institute**: Fine art and documentary photography
- **Smithsonian Institution**: American cultural and scientific photography
- **Bundesarchiv**: German historical and press photography
- **National Diet Library / National Archives of Japan**: East Asian photographic records
- **George Eastman Museum**: History of photography collection
- **Rijksmuseum / Victoria and Albert Museum**: European art photography
- **20+ additional national archives**: Australia, India, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, and more
## Key Features
- **30 columns** covering provenance, physical properties, digitization status, and art-historical context
- **15 photographic media types**: daguerreotype, calotype, tintype, albumen print, gelatin silver, platinum, cyanotype, autochrome, chromogenic, Polaroid, digital capture, and more
- **45 subject classifications**: portrait, landscape, war/conflict, documentary, scientific, botanical, street scene, and others
- **Era-accurate media distribution**: daguerreotypes concentrated in 1840–1860, gelatin silver prints dominating 1885–1970, digital capture rising post-2000
- **Digitization metadata**: scan resolution (DPI), pixel dimensions, file sizes for 90%+ of records
- **Condition assessments**: 6-level scale from excellent to deteriorated, with age-correlated degradation
- **Rights status**: public domain flags for pre-1930 works, Creative Commons, restricted, and orphan work classifications
- **Significance scoring**: 0–10 scale based on historical importance, with exhibition count tracking
## Use Cases
- Digital humanities research on photographic history and visual culture
- Archive digitization planning and prioritization
- Photography market analysis and collection valuation
- Machine learning training data for historical photo dating and classification
- Cultural heritage preservation studies
- Media history curriculum development
Schema
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| record_id | string | |
| archive_name | string | |
| archive_city | string | |
| archive_country | string | |
| archive_continent | string | |
| accession_number | string | |
| photographer | string | |
| year_created | string | |
| month_created | string | |
| subject_city | string | |
| subject_country | string | |
| primary_subject | string | |
| secondary_subject | string | |
| medium | string | |
| color_mode | string | |
| width_cm | string | |
| height_cm | string | |
| condition | string | |
| historical_period | string | |
| is_public_domain | string | |
| has_digital_scan | string | |
| digital_resolution_dpi | string | |
| pixel_width | string | |
| pixel_height | string | |
| file_size_mb | string | |
| collection_name | string | |
| significance_score | string | |
| exhibition_count | string | |
| description_available | string | |
| rights_status | string |
Sample Data
Preview a sample of the data before downloading.
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For AI Agents
Via MCP Server
# 1. Add to your agent's MCP config (claude_desktop_config.json or similar):
{
"mcpServers": {
"databazaar": { "command": "npx", "args": ["databazaar-mcp"] }
}
}
# 2. Your agent can then call:
search_datasets({ query: "Historical Photograph Archive " })
// Found: 7f61ab8a-f603-4eb5-9210-be334ba5000b
get_download_url({ dataset_id: "7f61ab8a-f603-4eb5-9210-be334ba5000b" }) // free — sign in with MCP OAuth firstVia REST API
# Free dataset — sign in or use your account API key: curl https://api.databazaar.io/datasets/7f61ab8a-f603-4eb5-9210-be334ba5000b/download-url -H "Authorization: Bearer $DATABAZAAR_API_KEY"