Pratt Institute Archives Photograph Collection

Dating mainly from the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries, the Photograph Collection documents the history and creative output of Pratt Institute, an institution that has stood since 1887 as an important cultural and educational presence in Brooklyn and the greater New York area. Included are images of the campus grounds and buildings; official events and activities; student life; notable individuals, including the Institute’s founder and his family; and student work. The collection is primarily made up of photographs, though there are a few postcards, and most items are undated.

Photographs of the campus include aerial photographs, campus views, and photos of the Institute’s many historically and architecturally significant buildings, including those designed by Lamb and Rich, Howells and Stokes, Babb, Cook, and Willard, and McKim, Mead, and White. The library, designed by William B. Tubby with interiors by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, is particularly well represented; photos include exterior and interior shots, depicting staff and researchers at work and an active children’s room, as well as views of the library park. The collection documents the Institute’s evolution from an urban school situated on city streets to a private, landscaped campus.

The Photograph Collection also provides a rich view of the activities and artistic pursuits of the Pratt community. Photographs from the first several decades of the Institute’s existence document important figures, including members of the Pratt family and early faculty; classes and student work in courses such as cookery, dressmaking, engineering, and architecture; and other Institute activities like athletics, exhibitions, clubs, and official events. Later class photographs include much of the same, while reflecting the school’s changing educational offerings and the influence of larger historical and cultural moments.