Brown Brothers is the nation's oldest stock photo agency, established in New York in 1904. We have hundreds of thousands of photographs and illustrations from prehistory to the present, with special emphasis on early New York, immigrants, royalty, slums, political movements, rural and urban life, wars, early technology, disasters, politicians, sports, inventors, science, American fads, and celebrities.
Our images are used by publishers, producers, museums, and advertising agencies worldwide. Major textbook and encyclopedia publishers have been using Brown Brothers images for over a century.
In 110 years, ownership has changed only through inheritance.
Begun by Arthur and Charles Brown, the staff eventually grew to twelve of New York City's best photographers. While New York expanded skyward with skyscraper construction, Brown Brothers' photographers documented the city from extraordinary vantage points, providing a perspective few people could experience firsthand.
The company covered events throughout the Northeast, from Washington, D.C., to New England.
Brown Brothers' photographs of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire helped influence labor and fire safety reforms. The company remains one of the few businesses still operating today that documented the tragedy and its aftermath.
Though Brown Brothers transitioned to film in 1920, it retained its glass plate negatives, resulting in one of the world's largest collections of original glass negatives under one roof. The collection also includes historic negatives, color transparencies, and acquired archival collections.
Brown Brothers photographed many of Thomas Edison's earliest known images, though it was not his exclusive photography agency.
The collection is maintained through a computerized index, and business transactions, including image delivery, are conducted electronically via the Internet.
Collection Highlights
- Early New York
- Royalty
- Slums
- Political Movements
- The Great Depression
- Rural and Urban Life
- Early Technology
- Politicians (especially Presidents)
- Sports and Athletes
- Inventors
- Science
- Transportation
- American Fads
- U.S. Navy Ships
- Maritime Disasters, including the Titanic and Lusitania
- Nightclubs and Restaurants
- Organized Crime
- Cities in all 50 States
- Celebrities
Extensive Sub-Collections
- The Golden Age of Baseball
- Paintings
- Nations of the World
- Yachts
- Animals
- Flowers
- Greek and Roman History
- High Society
- Prohibition
- Religions
- Music
- Fashion
- Military History
- Farming and Agriculture
- Industrialists
- Movie Stills
- Colleges and Universities
- Terrorism
- Disasters
Also Included
- Early American History
- Early Theatre, Burlesque, and Vaudeville
- The Olympic Games
- Immigration (especially Ellis Island)
- Entertainers
- Authors
- Early Aviation, including the Wright Brothers and Lindbergh
- Women's History, particularly the Suffrage Movement
- Wars, including the Civil War, World Wars I & II, Russian Revolution, and Korean Conflict
We hope we can be of service to you. Please email us at Brownbrothersusa@aol.com or call 570-689-2700.