The Filson's Online Image Database contains highlights from the Photograph, Print, and Museum Collections. It does not contain every item in these collections; records will be updated frequently. If you do not find what you are looking for, please feel free to contact us at images@filsonhistorical.org. Information on how to request usage rights and reproductions of collections is below.
Collection Highlights
1890 Tornado photographs: Photographs and prints documenting the aftermath of the 1890 Tornado in downtown Louisville, Ky. Of note, are the rare W. Stuber & Brothers “Tornado Views” stereograph collection.
African American History and Culture: The Filson has an extensive record of collecting, preserving, and sharing important work on Black history in Kentucky. Our collections contain materials and perspectives on Black businesses, artists, entertainers, architects, educators, churches, families, and more. The African American History Initiative, launched in 2023, will allow the Filson Historical Society to work alongside institutional and community partners to more fully collect, preserve, and share the significant stories of Black history and culture in Louisville, Kentucky, Southern Indiana, and the Ohio Valley region.
Art: The Museum Collection includes portrait, landscape, still life, and abstract paintings as well as folk art, sculptures, works on paper, and mixed media. The Filson has a significant collection that documents artists’ lives and their work in Louisville, Kentucky, Southern Indiana, and the Ohio Valley region.
Artifacts: The Filson’s Museum Collection was founded in 1891. Artifacts include clothing, textiles, decorative arts, and ephemera representing family, community, industrial, political, and military history.
Ivey Watkins Cousins Negative Collection: Ivey W. Cousins, a native of Danville, Va., retired as a leaf tobacco buyer and dealer in 1944 and moved to Louisville, Ky. While living in his adopted city, he ran the Louisville Service Club's hobby shop and began taking photographs of Louisville scenes. His photographs recorded street scenes and buildings primarily in downtown Louisville from Broadway north to Main Street, and on the main north-south streets in this area. Many of the scenes photographed no longer exist because of urban renewal, construction of expressways, and expansion of the medical center/hospital complex east of the central business district.
Jefferson County, Kentucky Photographs: This series of photos is from the Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston (1858-1946) Photograph Collection documenting early Jefferson County from 1902-1942.
Jewish Collections: Explore photographs and objects from Filson collections documenting Jewish life and history in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Ohio Valley. Photo collections include the Jewish Community of Louisville, Inc. and its affiliated and predecessor organizations the Jewish Community Federation of Louisville, the Jewish Community Center, and the Young Men's Hebrew Association, as well as numerous Jewish individual, family, business, and organizational collections.
Lusby Family Photograph Collection: Born into slavery in Owenton, Ky. Thaddeus Stephens Lusby Sr. (1856-1941) became a builder at the turn of the century. In 1900 Lusby Sr. moved his family to Louisville where he started a contracting business and built his family home at 353 Grand Avenue. The collection is compiled of Lusby family members including his wife Emma Parrish (1855-1927), and their children Stella Lusby (1877-1958); Nettie Lusby Plato (1879-1924), the first wife of prominent, African-American architect and builder, Samuel Plato; Martha Lusby McElroy (1885-1964), Stephens Lusby, Jr. (1888-1953); and Mary Lusby Reed (1894-1987), a teacher who taught in both Louisville public schools and the Union County, Kentucky school system. The bulk of the collection is of Thaddeus Lusby Reed (1930-2002), the son of Mary Lusby and Ernest Ellsworth Reed.
Mammoth Cave photographs: Photographs documenting Mammoth Cave, the longest known cave system in the world, located in west-central Kentucky. Of note are Cincinnati, OH photographer Charles Waldack’s stereocard views, “Magnesium Light Views in Mammoth Cave,” 1866 and early Mammoth Cave glass lantern slides, ca. 1889-1890 created by New Albany, IN photographer Ben Hains.
Mammoth Life and Accident Insurance Company Photographs: Mammoth Life (1915-1992) was one of the largest Black-owned and operated companies in Kentucky's history. Four individuals founded Mammoth Life during the "Golden Age of Black Business" in Louisville, Kentucky: B.O. Wilkerson, Rochelle I. Smith, William H. Wright, and Henry E. Hall. By 1928, Mammoth Life opened district offices in seven neighboring states: Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. The corporation was central to the Black community for decades, especially during the height of racial segregation. In 1992, Atlanta Life Insurance bought out Mammoth Life, another Black-owned business headquartered in Georgia. By 1994, Atlanta Life closed down the flagship Louisville district office. *Please note the Filson does not hold any policy information for the Mammoth Life and Accident Insurance Company; inquires of that nature should be made to a third-party administrator, Kemper Life Insurance Company (1-800-777-8467)*
Postcard Collection: This collection includes various views from around Louisville, Kentucky, and Southern Indiana dating from the early 1900s through modern day.
Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston Mountain Collection: A member of one of Louisville’s most prominent families, Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston (1858-1946) was an engineer by education and vocation, and historian and photographer by avocation. In 1882 Thruston was hired as a geological assistant under Albert Rogers Crandall (1840-1926) of the Kentucky Geological Survey. The Survey’s goal was to explore and record the natural resources in Appalachian counties. Counties including Bath, Bell, Breathitt, Breckinridge, Carter, Elliott, Floyd, Harlan, Knox, Letcher, Pike, Whitley, and Wolfe in Kentucky, and Wise and Lee in Virginia.
World War I & Camp Zachary Taylor photographs: Constructed in 1917 at the start of World War I, Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville, Ky, was the largest military training camp in the United States. This group of photographs is compiled from several collections documenting the construction and use of Camp Zachary Taylor and snap shots of Kentucky’s involvement during the Great War.
Search Tips
The Keyword Search button allows you to perform a general search across multiple fields for any online catalog records. Keyword searches use OR as the default connector between words (e.g. a search for Camp Taylor will return records associated with Camp OR Taylor). If you want to find records where both keywords are found, type in AND between the two words. To search for a specific phrase, be sure to put the phrase within quotes (e.g. "Camp Zachary Taylor"). You can also use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard (e.g. a search for histor* would come up with records containing history, histories, historical, etc.). Searches are not case sensitive.
The Advanced Search button can help you be more specific in your search. You can search for a word or phrase within a particular search category or use multiple categories to further narrow down your search results. For example, searching Taylor in the People field will bring up any records associated with a member of the Taylor family, without having to sift through Camp Zachary Taylor photographs. You can also search People and Creator records through Advanced Search. Phrase searching with quotes and use of wildcards (*) are available in Advanced Search.
The Random Images button is a great way to browse the collection. Each Random Images page displays a assortment of images from the online records. If something piques your interest, click the thumbnail to view a larger version of the image.
Collections Rights & Reproductions
In support of research, education, and publication, The Filson Historical Society (FHS) provides digital reproductions of items in the collections upon request. FHS does not provide printed reproductions. All requests for reproductions will be processed in the order in which they are received, regardless of the contact method used. Turnaround time depends on the complexity of the order, the need for custom photography, and department workload. Please allow 3 to 4 weeks to fully process the order after paperwork and payment have been received; larger and more complex orders may take longer. Rush orders (orders needed sooner than 3 to 4 weeks after payment) are available upon request for an additional fee.
Please consult our Collections Rights & Reproductions page to request an image(s).Please click here to access page.