About TopFoto
TopFoto - The Finest Picture Libraries in the World
It’s quite a claim. But after thirty years of rescuing, preserving and indexing archives of global importance, sixteen years of computer indexing, seven years of scanning these irreplaceable images and five years of merging these and many fascinating and specialist collections on to one major website, with over a million pictures already on line, it is a claim that can be supported, particularly since pictures from the incomparable treasure troves of Roger-Viollet of Paris, Fratelli Alinari of Florence and Ullstein Bild of Germany, have been added to the site.
The sudden advent of new – and expensive – technologies, shrinking picture research departments and ever more intensive pressure on picture researchers have been making life difficult for specialist libraries and archives. Many have given up, or have disappeared into mega-agencies. Even when the specialist agencies have invested in their own websites it is not always possible for busy researchers to access several sites to find the picture they want.
TopFoto aims to provide a market place for the specialist and general agencies to remain independent and yet to compete on equal terms, while researchers can access a one-stop shop where they can find just exactly what they want.
TopFoto includes pictures from:
AA World Travel Library
Alfieri (1914-1939)
Alinari - Italy
Ancient Art & Architecture
Ann Ronan Picture Library
ArenaPAL
Associated Press
Business AM Picture Library
Caro Photo - Germany
Central News (1890-1930)
Charles Walker Collection
Firepix
Fortean Picture Library
Fotomas Index UK
Heritage Image Partnership
The Image Works - USA
INP (1945-1955)
John Topham (1927-1968)
National Pictures
Odhams Periodicals
(-1969)
Photo New Zealand - NZ
Photonews
Photri - USA
Planet News (1928- 1970)
Pictorial Press
(1938- 1960)
Picturepoint
Polfoto - Denmark
Press Association
Professional Sport
Punch Cartoon Library
Rainbird
RIA Novosti - Russia
Roger-Viollet - France
Scotland in Focus
Seskim Photo - Turkey
Topham
UK City Images
Ullstein Bild - Germany
UNEP (1991-1995)
UPI (1932-1970)
UPPA
Visual & Written
Werner Forman
Woodmansterne
World History Archive