Photography and Media Arts

In the late 19th century, the Corcoran was among the first museums in the United States to acquire photographs. The museum began collecting photography and media art in earnest in the 1970s and has since obtained works in a wide variety of media made between the 1850s and the present day. The collection now includes more than 6,500 photographs, videos, and digital works, which together reflect diverse ideas and styles important to the evolution of photographic history.