Photographs & Postcards

Cotton Pajama Parade on Seawall Boulevard, Galveston, Texas, G-9125.4_FF1_11, Galveston Photographic Subject Files: Parades. Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas.

The Galveston and Texas History Center contains of over 100,000 photographs, prints, and postcards that date from the 1850s to the 2000s. These visual collections include images of Galveston’s buildings, citizens, social life, and environment. Collections are arranged into five groupings: Special Collections, Galveston Photographic Subject Files, Street Files, Name Files, and Miscellaneous. Special Collections are photograph collections donated by creators or collectors of the material. The remaining groupings are artificial collections developed by library staff. Further information is provided by the links below.

Photo Collections

Galveston Photographic Subject Files (G-Files)

The Galveston Photographic Subject Files contain photographs of Galveston arranged by subject, including Storm of 1900, churches, beach scenes, and restaurants. This collection is currently being digitized. Images are made available in the Archives Catalog as they are digitized.

Street Files

The Street Files contain photographs of commercial and residential street scenes. This collection has been fully digitized.

Name Files

The Name Files contain photographs of individuals and families from Galveston. At least one photo for each individual in this collection has been digitized.

Special Collections & Photo Albums

The Special Collections contain photos that were donated as distinct collections or albums that are part of larger manuscript collections. These contain photos and postcards on a variety of subjects, places, families, and events.

Miscellaneous Files

The Miscellaneous Files (M-Files) contain photographs of areas outside of Galveston and Texas, including a rare photo of the Texas Infantry at Camp Quantico. A subject index is available in the Reading Room.

Photographs in Books

The following books are excellent sources of historic photographs. A subject index is available in the Reading Room.

• Artwork of Galveston, published in 1894
• Galveston, Souvenir Edition, published in 1906 by the Galveston Tribune. F 394 .G2GF G358
• Galveston, Texas Indelible Photographs, published in 1892. F 394 .G2GB 1892
• Galveston - The Day Before and the Day After the Storm, by Dexter, W. W. and the Galveston Tribune. F 394 .G25 D48
• Galveston, The Sea Wall City, published in 1906. F 394 .G2GF F4
• Galveston the Texas Port and Playground, published ca. 1919. F 394 .G2GF G35
• Great Galveston Storm, by Doyle, D. B. F 394 .G25 D69
• Industries of Galveston, published in 1887. F 397 .G2GB M6
• Picturesque Galveston Pre-Storm Photos, published after the 1900 Storm. F 394 .G2GB D4
• The Port of Galveston and the State of Texas, published in 1890. F 394 .G2GB M64
• A Souvenir of Galveston, published in March, 1893. F 394 .G2GB G358
• Souvenir of Galveston: 90 Views, published in 1897. F 394 .G2GB S606
• Souvenir of Greater Galveston, "The Oleander City", published in 1904. F 394 .G2GF F55

Updated 2023-02-23 KK