The Photographs Section was created by a decision from the Administration board Council, on June 22nd 1976, so as to take care of the photographic cover of the entire museum collections.

To this day, the picture library keeps about 100 000 pictures, taking in, on one hand, the most representative objects of our collections, as well as typological series allowing to follow the evolution of armament, equipment and uniforms in the French Army, from the Middle Ages up to nowadays, and on the other hand, important iconographic series on the use of weapons, uniforms, fights, sieges and battles related to France history.

One can add to the shots of the collections exhibits, a collection about the architecture of the Hôtel national des Invalides, in which the Tomb of the Emperor takes a great part.

Access to the 75 000 black and white pictures, to the 15 000 slides and to the 8 000 coloured printings are by appointment exclusively, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 9:15 to 12:45 and from 14:15 to 17:00. (16:15 on Fridays).

To know the sale and use conditions of our printings : clic there