PHOTOGRAPH FAQS

What are the date ranges of the images in The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library?
Our images range in date from about the 1870s up to 2003. All of the pre-1895 images are portraits. Not every type of image is covered for the time period after 1895. For example, our architectural images cover the time period from circa 1925 to 2003 but our images of other types may not go beyond the 1950s. The only decade for which we have few images is the 1960s.

Do you have images of everything in Mobile and the surrounding area?
No. Most of our images are restricted to the downtown area of Mobile, not going much further than Fulton Street, although we do have some images of outlying areas. We also have many images of other communities in Mobile and the Eastern Shore, including Fairhpe, Foley, Dauphin Island, Coden, and Bayou La Batre. Patrons are urged to contact us with questions regarding your area of interest. 

What type of images does The McCall Library hold?
We have everything from daguerreotypes to 35mm polyester roll film.

Are The McCall Library's photographs available for sale?
Yes, almost all of the images we hold are available for sale to businesses, groups, organizations, governmental bodies, and the general public. At the request of the donor, however, a few images may not be used for commercial purposes.

How much do reprints cost?
The cost for our photographs varies depending on the type of image and the size. Please refer to our Photograph Services page for more about our pricing and policies. There is an additional cost for the use of our images for commercial purposes. You can find out more about those costs and policies by going to this web page, or you can click here for our fee schedule and here for the form we require prior to completing a commercial order.

Does The McCall Library accept photograph donations?
Gladly! We are particularly interested in receiving historically significant negatives of the people, places, and events in Mobile's past. If you only have the original photograph and not a negative, we have the ability to create a new negative and return the original to you. Groups of photographs that are not dated and in which the individuals are not identified are less likely to be accepted. If you are interested in donating some of your photographic material to us, please call us at 251.434.3800, fax us at 251.434.3622, email us at mccalllib@usouthal.edu. To expedite matters, please download, fill out our donation form, and bring it with you when you bring your materials.

Does The McCall Library require a credit line when its images are used?
Absolutely, all images belonging to us must be credited to our repository. At the minimum we require our repository name to be used but also prefer that the collection name be included. We will furnish that information to the user. If desired, we will also provide caption information at no extra charge.