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# Looking for an Old Aerial Photograph

### Fact Sheet 127-96 (May 1997)

 || U.S. Geological Survey || National Archives and Records Administration || || Library of Congress || Information ||

San Francisco, California, May 5, 1906--Library ofCongress

Plattsburgh, New York,1940--U.S. Geological Survey, aerial mapping photograph

Jefferson County, Colorado,1937--National Archives, Cartographic and Architectural Branch, aerial mappingphotograph

Attempts to photograph the surface of the Earth date from the 1800's, when photographersattached cameras to balloons, kites, and even pigeons. Today, aerial photographs and satelliteimages are commonplace.

The rate of acquiring aerial photographs and satellite images has increased rapidly  in recentyears. Views of the Earth obtained from aircraft or satellites have become valuable tools toGovernment resource planners and managers, land-use experts, environmentalists, engineers,scientists, and a wide variety of other users.

Many people want historical aerial photographs for business or personal reasons. They maywant to locate the boundaries of an old farm or a piece of family property. Or they may want aphotograph as a record of changes in their neighborhood, or as a gift.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains the Earth Science Information Centers(ESIC's) to sell aerial photographs, remotely sensed images from satellites, a wide array ofdigital geographic and cartographic data, as well as the Bureau's well-known maps. Declassifiedphotographs from early spy satellites were recently added to the ESIC offerings of historicalimages. Using the Aerial Photography Summary Record System database, ESIC researchers canhelp customers find imagery in the collections of other Federal agencies and, in some cases,those of private companies that specialize in esoteric products.
|| Top || Main Table of Contents ||U.S. Geological Survey
At the EROS Data Center,near Sioux Falls, S. Dak., the USGS maintains the National Land Remote Sensing Data Archive,including, beside 49 million satellite images, some 8 million aerial photographs of the UnitedStates. Some of them date to the 1940's. More recent products are standardized under theNational Aerial Photography Program in which the entire country has been photographed everyfive to seven years since 1980.

Lower Manhattan, New York, 1930's--National Archives, StillPicture Branch

Madison, Wisconsin, 1908--Libraryof Congress

Washington, D.C., 1949--U.S.Geological Survey, aerial mapping photograph

Products can be researched and ordered by contacting:

USGS EROS Data CenterCustomer servicesSioux Falls, SD 57198

Phone:  605-594-6151E-mail: custserv@usgs.gov
|| Top || Main Table of Contents ||National Archives and Records Administration
Most aerial mapping photographs of the United States taken for Federal agencies before1941 have been assembled at the Cartographic and Architectural Branch (CAB) of the National Archives. These photographs date from themid-1930's and cover approximately 80 percent of the land area of the conterminous 48 UnitedStates. The CAB also maintains a collection of American military photographs of the UnitedStates from the 1940's-1960's and some German military photographs of Eastern Europe andRussia flown during World War II.

The Still Picture Branch (SPB) of the National Archives has a large collection ofphotographs taken from the air. These date from the early 20th century to the present.  Both theCAB and the SPB maintain search rooms where visitors can search the files for the photographsthey want. For mail inquiries, be specific in describing area locations and time eras. Also, includeyour name, address, and daytime telephone number in each inquiry. The National Archives officewill return a research report and a price list for prints. The SPB will also send electrostatic copiesof appropriate photographs.

For information from the CAB and the SPB, contact: 

National Archives and Records AdministrationCartographic and Architectural Branch (NNSC)8601 Adelphi Rd.College Park, MD 20740-6001301-713-7040
|| Top || Main Table of Contents ||Library of Congress
The Library of Congress maintains a largecollection of historical photographs, some of which are aerial photographs dating from 1900 tothe 1940's. A few aerial photographs of the Connecticut countryside and Paris, France, takenfrom aerial balloons in the 1880's are also available, as is a series of panoramic views of U.S.cities taken between 1906-1908. The Library will perform a limited number of searches (lessthan 10) for a single mail inquiry, but visitors to Washington, D.C., are welcome to examine theirresearch files. For more information contact:

Library of CongressPrints and Photographs DivisionJames Madison Memorial Building101 Independence Avenue, S.E.Washington, DC 20540-4840202-707-6394
Information
For information on these and other USGS products and services, call 1-888-ASK-USGS,  or visit the generalinterest publications Web site on mapping, geography, and related topics at erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/pubslists/.

For additional information, visit the ask.usgs.gov Web siteor the USGS home page at www.usgs.gov.

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*Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does notimply endorsement by the U.S. Government.  This document has undergone official review andapproval for publications established by the National Mapping Discipline, U.S. GeologicalSurvey. Some figures have been modified or added to improve the scientific visualization ofinformation.*

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