An old proverb states that "the eyes are the windows into the soul." A genealogy corollary is that "a photo is a window into the lives of your ancestors."
I love old photos, whether they are portraits of my ancestors or historical photos for the period when they lived. And it is important to a complete research that one attempts to understand the environment that surrounds our ancestors' lives if one wants to truly appreciate what they went through.
So where can they be found? Obviously the best resource is our own photo albums and those that our relatives possess. But what about other resources? Many archives, historical societies, libraries and genealogical societies have collections of old photos. And in the past few years there has been a massive movement towards making these historical photo collections available online. Some have search capabilities where you can actually put in a surname or a location, name of a building or historical event and find what is available.
For the state of Michigan, what collections are available for you to browse and/or search online? Here is a list of sites to start with. Please feel free to add in the comments other online resources that you might be aware of in the state.
Please be aware that there may be very strict rules regarding downloading or other use of the images that you may find. Copyright and other legal protections may be in force. Make sure that you read the limitations of use for any image that you find in these collections and wish to download and/or copy. It is your responsibility to adhere to the rules for all of these collections.
Please note that links to these sites may change in the future. The author (me) will not be constantly checking and updating these links, so if you find a broken link, please use your favorite search engine to locate the new link.
(Updated December, 2020; recently added links are in BOLD)
- Alma College Archival Photographs
- Alma Photo Archives
- Alpena County Historic Photograph Archive
- Ann Arbor District Library Old News Photos
- Arab American National Museum - Dearborn
- Arenac County Album - People
- Arenac County Historical Photo Album
- Battle Creek Historical Images
- Bentley Historical Library - University of Michigan - Photograph Collections
- Benzie Area Historical Society - Benzonia
- Berrien County Photo Albums
- Boyne District Library - Boyne City
- Capital Area District Libraries - Lansing
- Central Michigan University's Digital Collections
- Charlevoix Historical Society Historic Photos
- Chippewa County Historical Society of Michigan Photo Galleries
- Civil War Collection
- Civil War Photographs of Michigan
- Copper Country Historical Images
- Delta County Historic Photos
- Detroit Historical Society - Detroit
- Detroit News Photo Albums
- Detroit Public Library Digital Collections
- Detroit: Evolution of a City
- DeWitt Digital Library
- Early Detroit Images
- Eastern Michigan University Archives Photographs
- Edwardsburg Photos 1900-1920
- Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives - Michigan
- Fort Wayne Historic Images
- Fowlerviille Historic Photos
- Grand Rapids Public Library Digital Collections
- Grand Rapids, City Archives and Records Center - Photos
- Grand Valley State University Digital Collections
- Gratiot County Photo Archives
- Great Lakes Research Library - Michigan Maritime Museum
- Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society - Keego Harbor
- Hancock Historical Pictorials
- Harbor Springs Area Historical Society Photos
- Historic Detroit Galleries
- Historic Grand Marais Photos
- Hope College/Holland Digital Collections
- Houghton County Historic Photos and Postcards
- Huron County Photo Albums
- Ionia County Photo Albums
- Jewish Federation Metro Detroit - Bloomfield Hills
- Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan
- Kalamazoo Local History Photo Gallery
- Kettering University Photo Archives
- Lansing State Journal Photo Archives
- Leelanau Historical Society Photos
- Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog
- Library of Congress Prints & Photographs - Michigan
- Library of Michigan Digital Collections
- Loutit District Library - Grand Haven
- Mackinac Bridge
- Making of Ann Arbor
- Marquette County History Museum (MI) - Marquette
- Michigan Ancient Faces
- Michigan Archives - Abandoned Building Photography
- Michigan Dead Fred
- Michigan History Images
- Michigan Memories
- Michigan Old Family Photos
- Michigan Penny Postcards
- Michigan State University Photo Archives
- Michigan State University Archives Collections
- Michigan, DP.LA Photos
- Michigan, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives
- Michigan's Copper Country in Photographs
- Michiganology Photos
- Midland Center for the Arts - Historical Society - Midland
- Monroe County Library System Digital Collection
- Monroe County Photographs
- Montcalm County Photographs, Postcards and Family Albums
- National Archives - Digital Photograph Collections
- Northeast Michigan Historical Photograph Archive
- Northern Michigan Photo Collections
- Northern Michigan University Online Exhibits
- Northwestern Michigan College Archive Photos
- Oakland County Photo Collection
- Oceana County Photo Albums
- Old Postcards and Photographs of Kalamazoo
- Otsego County Historical Society Photo Galleries
- Portage District Library Photos and Postcards
- Public Libraries of Saginaw Image Collection
- Rochester Historical Museum Photos
- Saline Area Historical Photos
- Sanford Historical Society Photograph Archive
- Sault Ste. Marie Shipping and Locks Collection
- Seeking Michigan
- Shiawassee District Library Historical Photos
- Smithsonian Images
- Southwest Michigan Images
- Spring Arbor University Digital Collections
- The Making of Modern Michigan
- Three River Public Library Photo Collection
- Traverse Area Photos
- Traverse Area District Library Photographs
- Tri-Cities Historical Museum Photos
- Troy Historic Village - Troy
- United Farm Workers Photos at Wayne State University
- University of Michigan - Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry - Ann Arbor
- University of Michigan Image Collections
- University of Michigan Bentley Image Bank
- University of Michigan, Flint Digital Collections
- Upper Peninsula Photo Collections
- Van Buren County Photo Albums
- Vicksburg Historical Society Area History Photo Collections
- Vintage Aerial Photos - Michigan
- Vintage Michigan
- Virtual Motor City
- Washtenaw County Historical Society Photos
- Wayne State University Photo Collections
- Western Michigan University Image Collections
- Ypsilanti Historical Society Photo Archives
For historical photos from other states as well as articles about photo research, please visit the Photos page.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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