Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer set reference photographs span the years 1919–1973 (bulk 1925–1973) and encompasses 315 linear feet. The series consists of approximately 350,000 black-and-white prints. Most are 8x10, but some files also contain 4x5 prints (sometimes of the same images). Both feature-length and short films are represented. There is limited coverage of Metro-Goldwyn and Goldwyn productions.

Set reference photographs are taken during film production for continuity and other reference purposes. These usually show completely finished and decorated sets, exactly as seen in the final production of the films. Performers and crew members appear only rarely in these stills.

Abundantly represented are many MGM period dramas noteworthy for their production design, such as David Copperfield (1935), The Good Earth (1937), Lust for Life (1956), Marie Antoinette (1938), North by Northwest (1959), and Romeo and Juliet (1936). Musicals with significant numbers of images include The Broadway Melody pictures (1929–1940), The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), and Show Boat (1951). Other well-represented titles include Grand Hotel (1932), Mrs. Miniver (1942), and A Night at the Opera (1935). The number of stills for each title is not always commensurate with the scope of the production. For example, The Wizard of Oz (1939) file features relatively few photographs.

Gift of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Film Co., circa 1984.