Brimley Photograph Collection

The Brimley Collection is named for Herbert Hutchinson Brimley, the first Curator (and later, first Director) of The North Carolina State Museum of Natural History. During his years of service with the State Museum, Brimley assembled North Carolina displays at various national and international expositions. In preparation of his exhibits for the various shows, Brimley did his own photographic work and traveled throughout North Carolina to capture scenes for display in his exhibits. This collection, PhC.42 from the State Archives, documents many aspects of life in the state between the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries. The photographs are arranged alphabetically by topic, beginning with Agriculture and ending with World War II. After the subject files, there are also unidentified lantern slides (1900s-1920s), and oversized prints. There are a total of 110 categories in the collection. Most of the collection is black and white, but a few of the oversized prints are hand colored.

This site is currently under development. We will be reviewing and making corrections and updates on an ongoing basis. If you find any errors, please send them to archives@dncr.nc.gov or digital.info@dncr.nc.gov