WASHINGTON

BEFORE THE LENS

25,000 glass negatives.
Thousands of lives.
One extraordinary photography studio.

C. M. Bell Studio
Rediscovering the people, families, politics, and culture
captured by one of Washington’s leading portrait studios.

EXPLORE THE ARCHIVE
MEET C.M. BELL
STORIES FROM THE STUDIO
WATCH

Sitter, Miss Jackson
C.M. Bell Studio. c.. 1890s.
Glass plate negative
Library of Congress

EXPLORE THE COLLECTION

Notables

Notables

Women

Native
Delegations

African American
Washington

Families

Writers & Artists

Soldiers

Children

RECENT DISCOVERIES

RECENT DISCOVERIES
Uncle Joe and the Architecture of Power
Uncle Joe and the Architecture of Power
Read more →
Edith Bolling Wilson: Before the White House, at the Center of Power
Edith Bolling Wilson: Before the White House, at the Center of Power
Read more →
Adlai and Letitia Stevenson: A Washington Marriage and an American Political Dynasty
Adlai and Letitia Stevenson: A Washington Marriage and an American Political Dynasty
Read more →
Frances Hodgson Burnett and the Family Behind the Stories
Frances Hodgson Burnett and the Family Behind the Stories
Read more →
Faith, Politics, and Washington Portraits
Faith, Politics, and Washington Portraits
Read more →
Reverend William Hammett Hunter: A Life of Faith in the Service of Freedom
Reverend William Hammett Hunter: A Life of Faith in the Service of Freedom
Read more →
Monticello and Peacefield
Monticello and Peacefield
Read more →
Wah Shem Gah and the Kaw Nation: A Portrait of Leadership, Memory, and Survival
Wah Shem Gah and the Kaw Nation: A Portrait of Leadership, Memory, and Survival
Read more →

FACE FROM THE ARCHIVE

THE STORY OF C.M. BELL

WATCH