CALIFORNIA MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAHY IN RIVERSIDE

The California Museum of Photography in Riverside

The California Museum of Photography (CMP) is the oldest photography museum in the Western United States. Founded in 1954, the CMP is located on the campus of the University of California, Riverside (UCR). The CMP’s collections include over 200,000 photographs, negatives, and slides dating from the 1840s to the present. The museum also has a library with over 10,000 books and periodicals about photography.

The CMP is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10AM to 5PM, and admission is free. Guided tours are given every Saturday at 1PM, and group tours can be arranged by appointment. The museum also offers a variety of educational programs for children and adults.

The CMP’s Permanent Collection
The CMP’s permanent collection includes over 200,000 photographs, negatives, and slides dating from the 1840s to the present. The collection covers a wide range of topics, including American history, the American West, art photography, Californian architecture and history, documentary photography, portrait photography, and UCR history.

Highlights of the collection include Ansel Adams’ Moonrise over Hernandez; Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother; Edward Weston’s Pepper #30; Berenice Abbott’s New York City Architects; and Lewis Hine’s Child Labor in America. The CMP also has a large collection of photographs by Irving Penn, Bruce Davidson, Mary Ellen Mark, Annie Leibovitz, and Catherine Opie.

The CMP Library

The CMP Library is one of the largest libraries dedicated to photography in the United States. The Library has over 10,000 books and periodicals about photography, as well as a comprehensive collection of back issues of major photography magazines. The Library is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10AM to 5PM.

The California Museum of Photography is one of the oldest and most respected museums dedicated to photography in the Western United States. With free admission and a variety of educational programs available for all ages, it is well worth a visit for anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating art form.