Photography at Orsay

The photographic collection of the Musée d'Orsay was put together in the late 1970s when the museum was created. It now contains nearly 55,000 prints and negatives ranging from the early days of photography to 1914. A permanent gallery was opened in autumn 2002 to display this outstanding set of works. The Photography at Orsay series, co-published by 5 Continents Editions and the Musée d'Orsay, accompanies thematic exhibitions with small books written by the museum specialists and illustrated with works displayed, which are often reproduced for the first time. Each book has an introductory essay, short entries for each photograph reproduced, a glossary of technical terms and a short biography. Some of these books may be purchased from the online shop.