Photography and New Media

The Henry Art Gallery is fortunate to count a remarkable breadth of photographs and new media works as key holdings in its permanent collection. As of 2010 the Photography and New Media collection contains over 2,000 objects representing the history of photography since its inception as well as an exemplary range of new media and video works by notable contemporary artists.

The Henry is indebted to a diverse group of donors who have cultivated and indelibly shaped the museum’s permanent collection. In 1979, Drs. Joseph and Elaine Monsen donated 109 photographs to create the Monsen Study Collection of Photography. This core collection formed the first Eleanor Henry Reed Study Center, built in 1980, utilized as a print and works on paper study room. Along with excellent contemporary examples, the Monsens were particularly prescient in acquiring 19th century works and photographs up to the 21st century. In 1997, a major donation from The Boeing Company combined with a generous gift from the Monsens brought 380 photographs into the museum’s permanent holdings, beginning the Joseph and Elaine Monsen Photography Collection. This collection serves as a significant resource for audiences in the Pacific Northwest because its contents are constantly rotated and on display in the Henry’s North Gallery exhibitions.

This photography gallery and timeline are not intended to serve as a definitive authority of technical or conceptual innovations, but rather as a resource focused on the strengths of the Henry’s collection. You are encouraged to explore specific works highlighted from the museum’s collection, learning how each plays an integral role in the Henry’s holdings and in the timeline of photography and new media. DIG in and explore the collection!

You are encouraged to further explore the entire breadth of the photography collection with the Henry’s Collections Search feature.

Special thanks to: Elizabeth Brown, Paul Cabarga, Kim Coulter, Jill Hardy, Misa Jeffereis, Sara Krajewski, Andrew O’Connor, Judy Sourakli, Zoe Viklund, Lekha Hileman Waitoller, and Erin Weible.