George Gustav Heye collected not only material objects made by Native Americans but also photographs documenting the artifacts, dress, daily habits, and ceremonial life of the peoples he encountered. From his earliest endeavors, Heye considered photography to be an important tool for collecting information about the Native cultures that many Americans then thought were becoming obscured by new and more dominant political, social, and spiritual institutions. Over time the archive grew as Heye solicited and purchased images from photographers, anthropologists, and private collectors. He procured ever older images and greatly expanded the breadth of the collection both in terms of its time span and its geographic coverage—an immense range covering hundreds of Native Nations across the Western Hemisphere. Today, NMAI’s photographic archive holds approximately 150,000 images, ranging from glass plate negatives to digital imagery. It is considered one of the world’s most significant collections of images documenting Native peoples.