About the North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives

The North Carolina Collection, a department in the Academic Affairs Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, began the formal development of a photographic archive in 1929. Today the photographic holdings total an estimated 1.5 million images that include examples of all major formats from the daguerreotype of the 1840s to the contemporary. The photographs are historically descriptive and documentary in nature. They provide a visual record of North Carolina's people, places, and events. Files exist for all 100 of the state's counties. The Photographic Archives is also the major repository for historical images documenting the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives preserves the work of amateur and professional photographers alike, including the collections listed below.

• The Wootten-Moulton Collection, featuring the work of pioneer North Carolina woman photographer Bayard Wootten (1875-1959). Her photography spans the entire first half of the twentieth century, but Wootten's most prolific period occurred during the depression years of the 1930s when she worked in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama documenting rural themes in a pictorial style.
• The negative archive of photojournalist Don Sturkey dating from 1951 to 1989. Sturkey photographed for the Charlotte Observer from November 1955 through the autumn of 1989. In 1961 he was named National Newspaper Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association for work he completed in 1960. Sturkey was the first Southerner to win this award.
• The photographs and films of Hugh Morton, one of North Carolina's most important photographers. The collection is estimated to contain more than a half a million photographic items and 60,000 linear feet of film footage. Acquired in early 2007, the collection is not yet available for researcher use. To keep abreast of progress on our efforts to prepare the collection for use and to catch glimpses into the collection, visit the blog A View to Hugh.