Leiden Knowledge Centre for Photography

Leiden is a knowledge hub, unique in its kind in the Netherlands, for academics, professionals, students and all other people who are specialized or interested in photography. The city and university offer:

Photography collections

The photo collection of Leiden University, part of the Special Collections of Leiden University Libraries: the oldest photo historical photography collection in the Netherlands, representing all technical, cultural-historic and artistic turns of the medium from its invention in 1839 until today, embedded in a library and documentation archives specialized in photography.

Master's programme

Film and Photographic Studies (MA): the internationally oriented master course at Leiden University’s Faculty of Humanities, covering the history and theory of film and photography within the broad context of visual and other media.

Courses

Course on the identification of historical photographic processes, taught annually (in Dutch language only) in the spring by photograph conservator Katrin Pietsch. This specialised course is intended for professionals working with original photographs, such as curators and archivists, as well as for collectors and others with an interest in the materiality of photography. The course focuses on learning to recognise a wide range of photographic processes, including daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, albumen prints, gelatin silver prints, chromogenic prints, and inkjet prints.

Collaboration

Leiden University acts as a knowledge center for photography for curators of many museums in the Netherlands and abroad. Many parts of the collection are visible in the form of loans, often dozens at the same time. Complete photography exhibitions, often in combination with lectures or symposia, have been realized in recent years in collaboration with, among others, Fotomuseum Den Haag, Haags Historisch Museum, Museum Hilversum and Kunsthal Rotterdam.

International Photo Festival Leiden with exhibitions and events, providing opportunities to meet photographers and experts, while sharing knowledge on photography with a broad public.

Events

Symposia, lectures, and other events. Subscribe to the mailing list to stay informed about upcoming activities.

There are also occasional opportunities to participate as a volunteer in projects involving the photographic collection. If you are interested, please contact the Curator of Photography, Maartje van den Heuvel.