New York University Archives Portrait Files
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Abstract
The New York University Archives Portrait Files (dated 1857-2006) is an artificial collection created by the University Archives as a central collection for photographs and portraits of individuals associated with the University. The collection consists of photographs, negatives, slides, and contact sheets depicting New York University administrators, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, trustees, and invited guests.
Historical Note
The New York University Archives Portrait Files was created by the University Archives to make a central collection for reference staff fulfilling requests for information on individuals associated with the University.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in a single file listing in alphabetical order by last name.
Scope and Contents
The New York University Archives Portrait Files (dated 1857-2006) is an artificial collection created to centralize information on individuals associated with the University. The collection consists of photographs, negatives, slides, and contact sheets depicting New York University administrators including NYU Presidents L. Jay Oliva, James McNaughton Hester, and John Brademas; faculty and staff including Professors Bayrd Still and Sylvia Law; alumni and donors including Martin Scorsese, Neil Diamond, and Spike Lee; trustees including Julius Silver and Jillian Manus-Salzman; and invited guests including Eleanor Roosevelt, Danny Kaye, and Jackie Robinson. The types of photographs found in this collection include professional headshots, promotional photographs, candid photographs, photographs from events, and some family photographs.
Within the inventory, there are instances of names repeating. These are different individuals with the exact same name.
Subjects
Genres
People
Topics
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Due of the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the collection. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items in the collection; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. The repository is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from this collection.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; New York University Archives Portrait Files; MC.319; box number; folder number; New York University Archives, New York University.
Custodial History
No information was recorded about the acquisition of the materials in this collection. There are two accessions related to this collection: 2021.008 and 2022.037.
Born-Digital Access Policies and Procedures
An access terminal for born-digital materials in the collection is available by appointment for reading room viewing only. Researchers may view an item's original container and/or carrier, but the physical carriers themselves are not available for use because of preservation concerns.
Appraisal
During the course of reprocessing in 2025, the Processing Archivist identified collection material that does not belong in the collection due to format or scope. Memorandum, articles, resumes, correspondence, and other types of paper materials containing biographical information was moved to the New York University Archives Biographical Files (MC 317).
Photographs of student activities, busts from the University Heights campus' Hall of Fame for Great Americans, and the Washington Square Festival were removed and placed into the New York University Archives Photograph Collection (PHOTO 00001). Photographs of artwork by Andy Warhol, Hale Woodruff, and Edward Hopper were also removed and placed into PHOTO 00001. Non-portrait photographs related to John W. Draper and Henry Draper were moved also moved to PHOTO 00001. Non-portrait photographs related to Samuel F.B. Morse were removed and added to the Samuel F.B. Morse Papers (MC 10).
Materials related to Frank Gould and Emma B. Kennedy (Mrs. John Stuart Kennedy) were removed and placed into the collection file for MC 319.
Materials related to Joseph Smalley were removed and placed into the Matthew Wise Collection on the Joseph Smalley AIDS Memorial Quilt Panel (MC 422).
Negatives were reviewed by the Processing Archivist to determine whether they should remain in the collection or be removed. Negatives with printed photograph versions were discarded, while negatives without print photograph versions were considered unique and kept in the collection.
During reprocessing, several optical discs and a zip disk containing photographs were identified. Materials clearly labeled Photo Bureau were deaccessioned from the collection. Similarly, if physical print copies of digital photographs existed in the collection, the digital photographs were deaccessioned from the collection.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2020 are unknown. In 2020, the collection level description was updated for compliance with DACS and ACM Required Elements for Archival Description.
The collection was reprocessed in the spring of 2025 by a processing archivist. The finding aid was updated to include a file level inventory with names listed alphabetically by last name. Original folders and title information were kept; and additional names and dates were supplied on to folders in order to improve description. Some oversized photographs were rehoused into a flat box. Photographs in overfilled folders were separated into multiple folders and the original folder information was transferred to the new folders. Photographs housed in legal sized boxes and folders were rehoused into letter sized boxes and folders. Duplicate photographs, photocopies of photographs, and clippings from the NYU yearbook were discarded.
Negatives were separated from their original folders and placed into separate acid-free folders and manuscript boxes. Original title information was retained on the new folder. Per the guidelines outlined by the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department, photographs and negatives were physically housed separately, but grouped together intellectually in the finding aid.
New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the content. Born-digital files were forensically imaged, analyzed, and arranged using Forensic Toolkit; and the electronic records were intellectually incorporated into the finding aid.