Photographic Archives and Collection at the Ruhr Museum
The Photographic Collection of the Ruhr Museum serves as the visual memory of the Ruhr region. Established in 1989, it has been continuously expanded and presented in exhibitions since then. Today, it is the largest and most significant archive of historical and contemporary photographs documenting the region’s landscapes and cities, its people, work and leisure, everyday life, and festivals. The photographs cover a period from the early days of photography to the present, with a focus on the 1950s to the 1970s.
The holdings comprise c. 4.5 million negatives and several tens of thousands of prints and slides from extensive estates and archives, including those of Ruth Hallensleben, Marga Kingler, Brigitte Kraemer, Willy van Heekern, Josef Stoffels, Anton Tripp, Peter Kleu, and Manfred Vollmer. The collection also preserves works and partial estates of important photographers with regional ties, ranging from Christine Boeckmann, Ludwig Windstosser, and Albert Renger-Patzsch to Bernd and Hilla Becher, Timm Rautert, Michael Wolf, and Joachim Schumacher.
The collection is open to all interested parties and is regularly used by scholars as well as media professionals, other cultural and educational institutions, and citizens seeking information on various aspects of the region’s history and present. Since 2009, significant parts of the photographic archive have been accessible online. Through an online image database, users can independently research, view images, and place orders.