MUUS Collection Acquires Todd Webb's Archive of 15,000 Prints and 50,000 Negatives

The MUUS Collection has acquired the complete archive of photographer Todd Webb, preserving approximately 15,000 prints, 50,000 negatives, and personal ephemera. Born in Detroit in 1905, Webb came to photography after losing his savings in the 1929 stock market crash. He studied with Ansel Adams and after serving in the U.S. Navy, moved to New York in 1945 to document the city with a large-format camera. His friendships included Georgia O'Keeffe, Gordon Parks, and Berenice Abbott. In the mid-1950s, he received back-to-back Guggenheim Fellowships to photograph historic westward trails, walking much of the route from New York to San Francisco. The acquisition will support research, exhibitions, publications, and digitization.