The National Archives hold most of its aerial photography in the Cartographic Branch and the Still Pictures Branch, but field sites (Field Records Division) and presidential libraries across the country also hold aerial photography.
Some highlights of photography at NARA field sites include:
Aerial Photography at the National Archives at Atlanta, Georgia
Record Group 142: Historic Photographs, 1933 - 1980
This series contains photographs which chronicle the development and growth of the Tennessee Valley Authority. These photographs depict the construction of dams, housing projects, Tennessee Valley Authority employees, and promotional flyers. This series is fully digitized.
Aerial Photography at the National Archives at Boston, Massachusetts
Record Group 77: Historical Photographs of Flood Events, 1927 - 1984
This series consists of photographs, aerial photographs, newspaper clippings and files relating to historic New England floods, including Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, but mostly in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The finding aid for the series is available at NARA at Boston. This series is partially digitized.
Aerial View, Connecticut River. V2-14-879F-8
Record Group 77: New England Aerial Photographs, 1934 - 1982
This series consists of aerial photographs of New England. Some photographs show damage from the flood of 1936 and the Hurricane of 1938. The finding aid for the series is available on the Catalog description. This series is partially digitized.
Connecticut and Rhode Island, 1938 Hurricane Damage. Clinton Beach, Clinton, CT.,
Record Group 77: River and Harbor Photographs for New England, 1937 - 1959
The finding aid for the series is available at NARA at Boston. This series is partially digitized.
Aerial Photography at the National Archives at Riverside, California
Record Group 48: Boulder Canyon Project Histories, 1948 - 1966
This series contains histories, which include photographs, data tables, maps, and technical drawings, that describe projects authorized under the Boulder Canyon Project Act, namely Boulder Dam (later renamed Hoover Dam), Boulder Power Plant, located on the Colorado River, and the All-American Canal, all Bureau of Reclamation projects. The histories include information on project construction, operation, and maintenance, including the installation of power plant machinery. The records document the creation and construction of Boulder City, Nevada, and Lake Mead National Recreation Area. This series is partially digitized.
Project History - Boulder Canyon Project - Hoover Dam. Aerial Photograph
Aerial Photography at the National Archives at San Francisco, California
Record Group 181: Salvage Photographs, 12/1941 - 1946
The photographs document World War II salvage operations on battleships sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This series is partially digitized.
NAS PH #117677- 10/27/42; USS Arizona- Salvage- Aerial view of ship
Aerial Photography at the National Archives at Seattle, Washington
Record Group 26: Photographs of Aids to Navigation, 1942–1958
This series consists of photographs of aids to navigation in Oregon and Washington. A few aerial photographs of locations in Alaska are included. The section of major aids to navigation includes photographs of light, radio, loran and lifeboat stations; lighthouses; and lightships. The section of minor aids to navigation includes photographs of buoys or other floating aids; pier or jetty lights; day beacons; private lights; channel lights; fog signals; and range lights. Additional photographs document the work done by Coast Guard tenders in support of aids to navigation. Most photographs have associated data sheets (associated textual documents) that list the subject, date taken and additional remarks. A few data sheets are present without associated photographs. The finding aid for the series is available at NARA at Seattle. This series is partially digitized.
Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and Lookout, 1947
Some highlights of photography at presidential libraries include:
Aerial Photography at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
White House Photographic Office Collection (Ford Administration): Gerald R. Ford White House Photographs, 8/9/1974 - 1/20/1977
The series contains photographs of Gerald R. Ford's day-to-day activities as President and Betty Ford's as First Lady, along with many pictures of their children and other family members, White House staff members, presidential advisors, Federal government officials, and other attendees at White House meetings and social events. David Hume Kennerly was the lead photographer, but Ricardo Thomas, Bill Fitz-Patrick, Karl Schumacher, and Jack Kightlinger also took many photographs. Photograph locations include White House meeting rooms, offices, and the family residence; at Camp David, in the limousine, aboard Air Force One, and the sites of various domestic and overseas trips (including 1976 presidential campaign trips) and vacations in Vail, Colorado. Topics include presidential speeches (including campaign speeches), Cabinet Meetings, White House briefings, meetings with foreign heads of state and ambassadors, meetings with congressional leaders and other members of Congress, media interviews and press conferences, Republican Party meetings and fundraisers, and White House luncheons and dinners. The finding aid for the series is available at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. This series is partially digitized.
View of Yellowstone National Park. GRF-WHPO-B1324-14
Aerial Photography at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library
Audiovisual Collection: Photographs Relating to the Administration, Family, and Personal Life of Harry S. Truman, 1957 - 2004
This series consists of photographs and negatives of President Harry S. Truman's administration, early life, military career, Senatorial years, and retirement. The series includes photographs relating to World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the lives and careers of many of Truman's friends and associates. This series is partially digitized.
Aerial Photography at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Department of Defense Cuban Missile Crisis Briefing Materials: Briefing Materials, 1962 - 1963
This series contains material associated with the televised Department of Defense briefing of February 6, 1963 regarding the military build-up in and subsequent removal of weapons from Cuba in the fall of 1962, known in the United States as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The material consists of boards showing aerial reconnaissance images and photographs of aircraft, naval vessels, weapons, charts, graphs, and other illustrations; an audio recording of the briefing; and a typed transcript of the briefing. This series is partially digitized. You can also find additional photographs from the series here.
Aerial Photography at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
White House Photographic Collection: Reagan White House Photographs, 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989
This collection consists of color and black and white photographs. The White House Photographic Office had five photographers that provided day to day coverage of President Ronald Reagan's two terms in office. The photographs document the daily activities of President and Mrs. Reagan. Included within this collection are photographs of speeches, state dinners, foreign and domestic trips, trips to Rancho Del Cielo and Camp David, White House staff meetings, Cabinet meetings, Oval Office meetings, press briefings, the 1984 campaign, and Nancy Reagan events. Also included are a small number of historical photographs. This series is partially digitized.
Photo Taken from The Washington Monument of The South Side of The White House in The Snow. C38828-31
You can view information on all of the aerial photography at field sites and president libraries, listed by facility, record group and series, here. Information on NARA’s aerial photography holdings can be found here. If you have any questions please email the Cartographic Branch at carto@nara.gov.