Research


New York State Department of Health Bureau of Communications Production Photography Unit Photographic Prints and Negatives of Department Officials, Facilities, and Activities


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Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:
Records consist of photographs created by the Photography Unit that were used in Department of Health publications, exhibits, training aids, news releases, annual reports, and presentations. Topics covered by the photographs include department operations and public health activities in the state including clinics, other public health services, medical procedures and equipment, department laboratories and offices, facilities, special events, and "medical defense" (relating to medical procedures in the event of a nuclear attack).
Creator:
Title:
Photographic prints and negatives of Department of Health officials, facilities, and activities
Quantity:

41.4 cubic feet

Inclusive Dates:
circa 1920-1983
Series Number:
14655

Administrative History

The Department of Health (DOH) has utilized staff photographers since about 1915. The present Photo Unit's origin, however, was in the establishment in about 1948 of a photographic editorship for Health News, a weekly publication of DOH's Office of Public Health Education (OPHE). In 1949 Health News became a monthly publication for New York's physicians, with a secondary audience of interested laymen. The publication's photographic staff was expanded to three people who also provided photographic services to other units in the Department.

A "photo unit" is first mentioned in DOH's annual report in 1950. This unit was located in OPHE and had a staff of three or four photographers between 1950 and 1975. In 1975 OPHE was abolished and the Photo Unit became part of the Public Health Education Unit (PHEU). At about this same time the Photo Unit's staff was cut in half. The PHEU was replaced in 1977 with the Health Education and Promotion Services Group in the new Office of Public Health. In 1986 this group was abolished and all health promotion activities were consolidated in a Public Affairs Group (PAG) in the Department's Executive Division. The Bureau of Communications Production Services, in which the Photography Unit is now located, is part of PAG.

Scope and Content Note

Records consist of photographs created by the Photography Unit that were used in Department publications, exhibits, training aids, news releases, annual reports, and presentations. They are arranged in several subsections.

Core negatives (1952-1977) are arranged chronologically, and cover the full range of DOH operations and public health activities in the state including clinics, other public health services, medical procedures and equipment, DOH laboratories and offices, facilities, and special events. Print books contain prints of the core negative series. Numerically arranged negatives (1945-1966) cover subjects similar to the core negatives. Alphabetically arranged negatives (1947-1960) are filed by subject designations such as "ambulances," "charts" and packets of negatives on special subjects such as a marijuana eradication project in the 1940s, agricultural labor camps, and health facilities.

"Medical Defense" related negatives (1958-1960) relate to the medical defense component of the National Civil defense program used for training publications in first aid and medical procedures in the event of a nuclear attack. Miscellaneous material (1950-1979) includes slides, transparencies, negatives, and motion picture production stills used for presentations at training programs on such topics as family planning and water quality. Miscellaneous prints and negatives (1916-1948) from the DOH Library appear to be from early DOH photo collections, before the Photography Unit's expansion.

Alternate Formats Available

Items Online

A selection of images from this series have been digitized and are available in State Archives Digital Collections.

New York State Archives Digital Collections

Photographic prints and negatives of department officials, facilities, and activities, circa 1920-1983

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.

Access Terms

Geographic Name(s):
Subject(s):
Genre(s):
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Detailed Description

Dates Contents Box

Accretion: 14655-88
Core negatives: 50-176 to 52-27A 1
Core negatives: 52-28 to 53-51A 2
Core negatives: 53-53 to 54-14A 3
Core negatives: 43-15 to 55-28A 4
Core negatives: 55-29 to 57-10A 5
Core negatives: 57-11 to 58-193A 6
Core negatives: 58-194 to 59-205A 7
Core negatives: 59-206 to 60-107A 8
Core negatives: 60-108 to 61-157 9
Core negatives: 61-158 to 62-81 10
Core negatives: 62-82 to 63-41A 11
Core negatives: 63-42 to 64-91A 12
Core negatives: 64-92 to 64-345 13
Core negatives: 65-1 to 66-67A 14
Core negatives: 66-69 to 68-168 15
Core negatives: 68-169 to 1978 16
1978-1983 Core negatives: 1978 to 1983 17
Prints of core negatives: 52-1 to 52-279 18
Prints of core negatives: 53-1 to 53-315 19
Prints of core negatives: 54-1 to 55-115 20
Prints of core negatives: 56-1 to 59-89 21
Prints of core negatives: 59-89A to 61-259 22
Prints of core negatives: 61-260 to 64-283A 23
Prints of core negatives: 64-284 to 72-6 24
Numerically numbered negatives: 1-443 25
Numerically numbered negatives: 444-715A 26
Prints of numerically numbered negatives: 312-597 27
Prints of numerically numbered negatives: 598-853A 28
Prints of numerically numbered negatives: 855-1003 29
5" x 7" negatives: 57-1 to 57-103 30
Prints of 5" x 7" negatives: 57-1 to 57-97 31
1947-1964 Publicity Negatives: 1947 to 1964 32
1965-1970 Publicity Negatives: 1965 to 1970 33
1971-1973 Publicity Negatives: 1971 to 1973 34
1974-1982 Publicity Negatives: 1974 to 1982 35
Alphabetically arranged negatives: A - X 36
Alphabetically arranged negatives: A - B 37
Alphabetically arranged negatives: C 38
Alphabetically arranged negatives: C 39
Alphabetically arranged negatives: D-F 40
Alphabetically arranged negatives: G-H 41
Alphabetically arranged negatives: I-M 42
Alphabetically arranged negatives: N-R 43
Alphabetically arranged negatives: S-X 44
Unarranged negatives 45
1963-1975 Kodacolor negatives: 1963 - 1975 46
1975-1983 Kodacolor negatives: 1975 - 1983 47
Medical Defense negatives 48
Medical Defense negatives 49
Health News negatives/Alphabetical negatives 50
South Mall construction negatives and prints 51
Unarranged negatives and prints 52
Unarranged negatives and prints 53
Unarranged negatives and prints 54
Unarranged negatives and prints 55
Unarranged negatives and prints 56
Unarranged negatives and prints 57
Glass plate negatives 58