The Durham Museum's Photo Archives contains nearly 500,000 images that document the fascinating history of Omaha from its early days as a young frontier town to a unique and sophisticated city. Bustling urban scenes, grand architecture, tranquil views of parks, as well as images of Omaha's notable personages and events are well-preserved on film.

The Photo Archives is a tribute to many professional and amateur photographers whose creative works have become a significant historical record.

The Photo Archives places special emphasis on seven collections:

• The Bostwick-Frohardt Collection includes approximately 70,000 prints and 38,314 negatives from Louis Bostwick, an early Omaha photographer. Images cover Omaha architecture and events and range from 1850-1900. The collection also includes photos collected over the years by Bostwick and his colleague Homer Frohardt.
• The John S. Savage Collection includes images from Savage's career as a newspaper photographer in Omaha and includes over 29,361 negatives and 1605 prints.
• The Rinehart-Marsden Collection is a portrait collection consisting of over 50,000 negatives from a local commercial photographer. The collection covers the years 1940-1960.
• The Louis Leppke Collection is a collection of 366 negatives and 554 prints from an accomplished amateur photographer from early Omaha. The collection includes many scenic views but focuses mainly on photographs of American Presidents and First Ladies.
• The Sun Newspaper Collection is stored on 225,000 negatives and covers the years 1970-1979.
• The William Wentworth Collection covers the years 1934-1950 and features images spanning the career of an Omaha commercial photographer. The collection contains over 3000 negatives and 36 prints and features images of schools, theatres, people, and early businesses.
• The Robert Paskach Collection was created by another Omaha newspaper photographer and contains over 20,000 images spanning a timeframe from the 1940s-1990s.

Reproductions from these collections and other minor collections are available for purchase. Click Here to view the price list.

Commercial, scholarly publication, exhibition, online use, promotions, broadcast/film, or home video use without prior written permission of the museum is strictly prohibited. Permission is determined on a case-by-case basis. Fees may apply.

The Photo Archives at The Durham Museum is open to the public during the hours of 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. For inquiry on special records, please contact us at 402-444-5071 ext. 524.

To volunteer for the Photo Archives, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 402-444-5071. For more information on this and other volunteer opportunities, click here.