Since the formation of the Alpine Club in 1857 a large collection of photographic images have been acquired creating a unique library dedicated to mountaineering.

A large part of the collection, comprising all photographic formats, has been donated to the Club by the original mountain photographers, many of whom were or are members. Donators include William Donkin, Vittorio Sella, Sydney Spencer and Edward Whymper who were all members, as well as the Abraham Brothers. The collection also includes pictures taken on all British expeditions to Everest since 1921.

We are keen to make our collection as available as possible to the public and, in addition to our regular programme of exhibitions, we also offer several ways for you to purchase or license copies of these sublime works.

Contents

The collection covers all of the major mountain ranges of the world, including the Alps, Himalaya, Andes, Caucasus, Rockies and Japan.

It also features photographs of historic climbers, and historic climbing - offering a glimpse into the history of mountaineering. It is a unique collection and we are proud to say images have been supplied to numerous authors, as well as researchers, students, television and film.

Getting in touch

If you are searching for a specific image or would like to gain a better idea of our collection, please contact our Photos Team at photographs@alpineclub.org or use the enquiry form at the bottom of this page.

They will be able to assist you with licensing digital copies from our collection.

Keeper of Photographs: Bernie Ingrams

Some example images from our collection are shown below.