For Publishers, Filmmakers & Institutions

Image Licensing

The Kornweiss Photography Archive contains over 125 years of historic photographs from New York City's immigrant neighborhoods. Images are available for licensing for editorial, commercial, exhibition, and academic use.

Academic & Educational

$50–150

Theses, dissertations, classroom use, educational websites

  • —One photograph, one use
  • —Digital delivery (high-resolution TIFF)
  • —Credit line provided
  • —Non-commercial only

Editorial

$150–400

Books, articles, newspapers, magazines, documentaries, podcasts

  • —One photograph, one publication
  • —Digital delivery (high-resolution TIFF)
  • —Print and digital rights
  • —Worldwide English language

Exhibition

$100–300

Museum exhibitions, gallery shows, public installations

  • —One photograph, one exhibition
  • —Digital delivery + optional archival print
  • —Duration of exhibition
  • —Reproduction for promotional materials

Commercial

$500–2,000+

Advertising, merchandise, product packaging, commercial film

  • —Negotiated per use
  • —Exclusive or non-exclusive options
  • —Territory and duration negotiable
  • —Full commercial rights

How Licensing Works

1

Browse & Select

Browse the archive and click “License this image” on any photograph, or describe what you're looking for in your request.

2

Tell Us Your Use

Describe your project, intended use, territory, and duration. We'll respond within 48 hours with a quote and license agreement.

3

Receive Your Files

Upon agreement, we deliver high-resolution TIFF files with full metadata, provenance documentation, and a suggested citation.

Rights & Copyright

Photographs created by the Kornweiss studio prior to 1928 are in the public domain under US copyright law. However, the Kornweiss Photography Archive controls access to high-resolution scans, provides provenance documentation, and offers curatorial context that adds significant value for publishers and institutions.

Licensing fees support the ongoing work of scanning, restoring, and preserving the archive. We offer reduced rates for academic and educational use, and free use for direct descendants requesting images of their own family members.

Community-submitted photographs remain the property of their contributors. Licensing requests for contributed photographs are forwarded to the original contributor for approval.

Request a License

Tell us about your project and which images you're interested in. We respond to all inquiries within 48 hours.

Contact for Licensing