It is the evidence in images of the Accademia's activity. It contains portraits of artists and other important personalities from Italian cultural life, pictures of the objects and instruments in the Museum of Musical Instruments and photographs regarding field research from the Ethno-musicology Archives.
Currently, catalogue records and digital attachments of about 11,000 photographs are available. From daguerreotypes to digital photos, the Accademia's Photographic Archive offers the public a view of artistic life spanning the mid-19th century to the present. Collected under the heading "Press and Reviews" are images linked to concert activities or other more general manifestations of the Accademia. The "Ethno-musicology Archives" hold pictures documenting field work and the study of oral traditions, an important adjunct that completes documentation in the sound collections. The Vassalli, San Martino and Mugnone collections are the oldest, and encompass for the most part photographs with autographed dedications featuring not just more or less celebrated musicians but also actors, dancers, circus performers and other entertainers.
In addition to all these, there is the curious photographic collection from the National School of Cinema (1932-34), with its early 20th century portraits of aspiring stars; this collection is currently being digitalized and arranged within the Historical Archive. The section devoted to the Museum of Musical Instruments (MUSA) contains complete photo documentation of the Museum (its layout and displays, photographs of instruments and photo documentation of restorations). The thousands of photographs making up the Archive are currently catalogued and digitalized on the basis of ICCD standards, offering users completely computerized access via catalogue consultation in the Multimedia Library and directly from home.
