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Posted on Wednesday December 23, 2015

Updated on Monday November 6, 2023

Collections Academic Research Architecture Austria Landscapes Portrait Local-history

The Picture Archives and Graphics Collection of the Austrian National Library

The holdings of the Archives combine the graphics collection and three important historical collections: the Portraits Collection, the Picture Archives, and the former private library of the Habsburg family.

The Picture Archives and Graphics Collection of the Austrian National Library is the largest pictorial documentation centre in Austria.

More than 1.6 million objects can be searched in the catalogues of the Picture Archives and 200,000 images can be ordered online. The origins of the collection go back to the former “royal and imperial family Fidei commis Library” of the House of Habsburg, a comprehensive collection of portrait graphics, books, historic photographs and valuable objects of art.

The Picture Archives hold more than 1 million photographic negatives with a wide spectrum of themes: portraits, photographs on architecture, historic documents, pictures of everyday life and artistic photographs.

The graphics collection includes more than 500,000 art objects, posters, pamphlets, engravings, water colours and drawings; the Fidei commis Library consists of 116,000 old and rare books.

Image taken from: http://www.bildarchivaustria.at/Bildarchiv//89/B1832860T1832864.jpg

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