New England Photographic Archive is the Photographic Preservation Center's virtual archive of images from glass plate negatives.  The photographs are presented as an introduction to the institutions that physically house the glass plates.  Please visit the museums, libraries and historical societies that safeguard these historic images that document our cultural heritage. All items within The New England Photographic Archive are copyrighted.

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The Barnstable County Cataldo Archives (BCCA) house over 200 photographic glass plate negatives in various sizes including 6x9, 5x7 and 4x5 inch plates. The collection documents Barnstable County and the activities of Cape Code in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.  A large part of the collection contain images of the Life Saving Service, including lifeboats and the lifeboat stations that were setup along Cape Cod’s coastline to provide rescue and shelter for shipwreck victims. In 1915 the Service merged with the Revenue Cutter Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard. BCCA holds and displays Louis Cataldo’s vast collection of photographs, papers and memorabilia that document the county's history