Although most of us think of stock photography as being an internet based system, the roots of stock photos can be traced back to well before the web. One of the innovators in this field was Dr. Otto Ludwig Bettmann, founder of the Bettmann Archive.
Dr. Bettmann, or the "Picture Man" as he was known, emigrated from Nazi-Germany in 1935. He brought with him trunks packed with all the various photos, drawings and reproductions he had collected. This was the start of what would become a lifetime project. Bettmann continued to add to his collection for the next 50 years.
The archive was founded in 1936 in New York City. Bettmann collected over 5 million images that ranged from archival photos to old woodcuts. This collection contains important archival images from throughout history. As his collection grew, he realized that there was a growing demand for these images. Editors, advertisers, as well as art directors saw the great value in his collection.
Bettmann also set up an organized filing system for his collection. Images could easily be found through cross referencing themes and subjects, much as a search engine would work today. In a way, he was also on the keywording and search data forefront.
The Bettmann Archive has grown over the years and currently consists of 19 million images. It is now owned by Corbis. Much of it has been scanned and converted to digital form. The physical collection has been moved to an underground storage facility with a controlled environment to ensure it will survive as long as possible. That is quite a compliment to the value of these images.
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