TVA Historic Photograph Collection

Photographers were on the job from the from the earliest days of TVA, helping to capture the agency's work—and the cultural changes it wrought—on film.

TVA has a collection of over 20,000 black-and-white negatives (8x10, 5x7, 4x5 and 2x2), and over 5,000 8x10 original file prints. The collection covers the years 1933 through 1983. The subject matter includes many of TVA’s program activities such as instruction in better farming practices, installation of power lines, rural electrification and construction of power facilities.

Two other TVA photographic collections have been transferred to the National Archives:

• The construction progress negatives that formally document the changes in the construction of each hydro and fossil plant. Most of these are large-format negatives.
• The Kodak negatives that document the development of each TVA reservoir. They are generally 2x2 or 35 mm.

For more information on these collections, please contact:

National Archives
5780 Jonesboro Road
Morrow, GA 30260
770-968-2100
Atlanta.archives@nara.gov

Be a Citizen Archivist!

Want a glimpse of life in bygone Appalachia while helping genealogists and other researchers? The National Archives and Records Administration needs volunteers to help transcribe its vast historical records, including those on families impacted by the construction of TVA dams. Learn how to join the effort.