The Forest Service Historical Photograph Collection consists of black and white images, mostly 8" x 10" in size. The photographs date from the late nineteenth century into the second half of the twentieth century. The Forest Service Historical Photograph Collection was begun in 1898 under the direction of Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the Forest Service, and an avid photographer. Pinchot required his forestry agents to include photographs and good documentation in oversight reports from the field. This policy carried over when the Forest Service was given authority and responsibility for land management.
Pinchot donated his personal collection of images on the subject of forestry to the Forest Service. These photographs were combined with those inherited from the Bureau of Forestry to form the foundation of the collection. Taken as a whole, the photographs create a pictorial documentation of the westward movement in America--the farmers, foresters, miners, cowboys, American Indians, scientists, and others who changed the face of the land. Examples of subject categories include foresters at work, recreation, scenery, logging, erosion, wildlife, homesteads, fire, and insects. Photographs and negatives are located at the National Archives.
