Photos, Videos, and Other Visual Materials in the University Archives

The links below will take you to the online collection guides for collections containing photographs, negatives, slides, and other photographic material.

• University Archives photograph collection, 1861-ongoing: Contains images documenting students and student groups, faculty and administrators, events, buildings, and daily life at Duke University dating from 1861 to the mid-1980s. The majority of images in the collection are black-and-white.

• University Archives photographic negative collection, 1855-1995: Contains negatives and some matching prints of University-related subjects. The collection contains roughly half original negatives and half copy negatives. In the case of the copy negatives, the user should be aware that some of the corresponding dates refer to when the copy negative was made, not when the original picture was taken.

• Duke Photography records, 1960-2018: University Archives staff are currently processing this enormous collection of Duke Photography photographs. The collection guide linked here covers photos from 1988-1994. For help with locating earlier and later photos (dating from the 1970s to 2007), contact us!

• Duke Photography faculty and staff photographs, circa 1960s-2003: Posed portrait photographs of Duke administrators, faculty, and staff taken by Duke Photography. The photographs in the collection are organized by name.

• Jay Carl Anderson Photographs and Papers: Anderson (Class of 1978) was photo editor for the Chronicle and editor of the 1978 Chanticleer, so his collection is a great source for Duke photos--including Duke Athletics photos--from the mid-1970s. There are also a number of photos of Durham, as well as other NC cities and events.

• Duke University Sports Information Office Photographic Negatives collection, circa 1924-1992 and Visual Materials collection, 1930-ongoing: Our extensive collection of Duke Athletics photographs has been divided according to format. The Photographic Negatives collection is a reliable source for posed publicity photos of athletes and coaches, as well as game photos, from the 1920s to the mid-1980s. Many photos from the 1920s-1940s have been digitized and made available online via the link above. The bulk of the Visual Materials collection includes individual player photos, team photos, and game photos from the 1980s to the 2010s. This collection is still being processed, so please contact us for help with locating photos in this collection.

• Chanticleer photograph collection, 1998-ongoing: Contains more recent photographs (produced by the staff of the Chanticleer) of Duke University-related subjects including sporting events, buildings, sororities and fraternities, athletes and sporting events, campus events, and general student life. This collection is currently unprocessed, so locating specific photos can be tricky.

The links below will take you to the online finding aids for collections containing film and video.

Note: In order to avoid damaging the unique originals, we need to make digital copies of the films and videos in these collections before they can be viewed. Please contact University Archives staff about using the films and videos in these collections before visiting the reading room.

• Radio TV Services records, ca. 1937-2008 and Media Services audio and video recordings, 1963-ongoing: Both collections contain audio and video recordings of many campus events, lectures, and performances including athletic games, dedications, award presentations, and commencement ceremonies. The Radio TV Services records include the original reels of Duke promotional films "This is Duke University" (1954) and "Quest without End" (1957), both available online.

• Cable 13 videotapes, 1976-2009: These videos from Duke's student-run television channel include recordings of campus events, concerts and performances, and athletics; campus news and talk shows; and even some scripted programming.

• Duke University Men's Basketball game film collection, 1947-1996 and Duke University Football game film collection, 1934-2007: These collections contain just over sixteen hundred Duke football and men's basketball games films. A small number of the films have been digitized, though many do not contain audio and lack continuity since these films were to be used for coaching purposes.

• Freewater Production films and records, 1967-2003: This collection contains documentaries, shorts, and feature films made by this student group. Subject files and publicity materials relating to the organization and the films are also included.

The links below will take you to online finding aids and websites for digital collections, exhibitions, and resources containing photographs, negatives, slides, and digital images that document and capture student events, faculty members, buildings on campus, and the Duke family.

• Duke Yearlook on Flickr: Duke Yearlook is produced by the Duke University Archives to provide alumni and friends of Duke with a virtual yearbook of campus scenes from different campus eras. Photographs can be browsed generally or via multiple topical groups (e.g. Duke Student Life, Duke Athletics, Trinity College, etc). New images are being added on a regular basis.
• Construction of Duke University, 1924-1932: This Duke Digital Collection contains 605 photographs documenting the construction of Duke University's East and West Campuses.
• Online Exhibitions by the Duke University Archives: The University Archives maintains a collection of online exhibitions that highlight photography, documents, and objects pertaining to various aspects of life at Duke University including sports, student activism, university architecture, and institutional history.
• Digital Durham: This online collection contains a selection of digitzed primary sources that help illuminate the economic, social, cultural, and political history of a post-bellum southern community. Contains photographs, maps, correspondence, personal papers, and audio files.