Detroit Publishing Company Collection

The Detroit Publishing Co. became a comprehensive publisher of photographic images around the turn of the century. Started in 1895 in Detroit, Michigan, it was known until 1905 by its two subsidiary operations, the Photochrom Co., dealing with the production of color prints, and the Detroit Photographic Co., responsible for the publishing and distribution of photographic views made by the company. A timely joining of entrepreneurial energies helped assure the early success of the company.

The Detroit Publishing Company (DPC) collection is comprised of several thousand items. It includes approximately 30,000 small format photographs, 1,000 oversize photographs, 5,000 photolithographic prints, and 15,000 postcards. These depict a wide variety of subjects. The photographs in this collection were used to produce color prints and postcards using the Photochrom process between 1897 and 1936. (For a description of the Photochrom process, see the book entitled, The Birth of a Centu...