Mission

The primary focus of the MUUS Collection is to bring together American photography archives from the twentieth century.

Our mission as custodians of this collection is to make visible these exceptional photography archives through exhibitions, scholarship, donations, licensing, and the printing of images and books.

About

The MUUS Collection brings together photographic works that mark major turning points in American history, ultimately creating a road map of our shared past. We believe in the unique power of photography as an inimitable touchstone of collective cultural memory, and it is our goal to preserve and promote these invaluable artifacts for generations to come.

As a functional archive, the MUUS Collection builds, preserves, studies, and shares its outstanding collections of American photography, generating new scholarship and understanding, while instigating interesting and relevant dialogues within the wider photography community. The combined art, archival, and research materials that make up the MUUS Collection ultimately serve to deepen our appreciation of how photography impacts society.

We are dedicated to the critical understanding of historical photography and related media, and aim to highlight the ways in which the visual arts can facilitate a reflection of our shared American history. Where did we come from, and where are we going? What have we learned from our victories and mistakes, and how can we filter these lessons productively through our current moment?

"As a photographer and picture editor at the Village Voice, where I have now been for 35 years, I had access to movie stars, rock stars, political celebrities, presidents, famous artists, beat writers, and poets.⁠
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But Jimi Hendrix was like some kind of God to me, and I was quite terrified in his presence. Here was one of the great icons of the period, the man who played the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock. In those days I was a real groupie, and admired my heroes from the distances of an 80 millimeter lens. Any closer than that I trembled. The times when I was next to him, backstage at Madison Square Garden and later in his Electric Lady Studio, I was afraid to talk to him. I was nervous and scared that I wouldn't get the right shot and was afraid of asking him to pose for a normal portrait. ⁠
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As I look back on these incidents 27 years later, I am still puzzled by why I was so afraid of Jimi Hendrix. After all, I wasn't afraid of LBJ, MLK, or RFK, all of whom I photographed dozens of times. So what was it about Hendrix? I guess I'll never know."⁠
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- Fred McDarrah, as quoted in Nona Hate's book "Jimi Hendrix: Reflections and Visions"⁠
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Above, Hendrix with producer Eddie Kramer (left) and studio manager Jim Marron (right) at Electric Lady Studio, June 17, 1970.⁠
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DM or email us for more information on availability and licensing⁠
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© Fred W. McDarrah/MUUS Collection⁠
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#MUUSWorkOfTheDay #FredMcDarrah #VillageVoice #JimiHendrix #MLKJr #JamesBaldwin #BnWPortraits #BnWFilm #PhotoArchive #PhotographyCollection #ArchivesOfInstagram #BayardRustin #35mmPhoto #CivilRights #CivilRightsMovement #BobDylan #PeterPaulAndMary #JoanBaez #ArtDiscovery #PreservingHistory #LincolnMemorial #FilmPhotography #35mm #PhotographyPrint #TheVillageVoice #FredWMcDarrah #AnalogPhotography #protestphotography
"As a photographer and picture editor at the Village Voice, where I have now been for 35 years, I had access to movie stars, rock stars, political celebrities, presidents, famous artists, beat writers, and poets.⁠ ⁠ But Jimi Hendrix was like some kind of God to me, and I was quite terrified in his presence. Here was one of the great icons of the period, the man who played the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock. In those days I was a real groupie, and admired my heroes from the distances of an 80 millimeter lens. Any closer than that I trembled. The times when I was next to him, backstage at Madison Square Garden and later in his Electric Lady Studio, I was afraid to talk to him. I was nervous and scared that I wouldn't get the right shot and was afraid of asking him to pose for a normal portrait. ⁠ ⁠ As I look back on these incidents 27 years later, I am still puzzled by why I was so afraid of Jimi Hendrix. After all, I wasn't afraid of LBJ, MLK, or RFK, all of whom I photographed dozens of times. So what was it about Hendrix? I guess I'll never know."⁠ ⁠ - Fred McDarrah, as quoted in Nona Hate's book "Jimi Hendrix: Reflections and Visions"⁠ ⁠ Above, Hendrix with producer Eddie Kramer (left) and studio manager Jim Marron (right) at Electric Lady Studio, June 17, 1970.⁠ .⁠ .⁠ DM or email us for more information on availability and licensing⁠ ⁠ © Fred W. McDarrah/MUUS Collection⁠ .⁠ .⁠ ⁠ #MUUSWorkOfTheDay #FredMcDarrah #VillageVoice #JimiHendrix #MLKJr #JamesBaldwin #BnWPortraits #BnWFilm #PhotoArchive #PhotographyCollection #ArchivesOfInstagram #BayardRustin #35mmPhoto #CivilRights #CivilRightsMovement #BobDylan #PeterPaulAndMary #JoanBaez #ArtDiscovery #PreservingHistory #LincolnMemorial #FilmPhotography #35mm #PhotographyPrint #TheVillageVoice #FredWMcDarrah #AnalogPhotography #protestphotography