Preserving History Through Pictures: Lincoln University Partners With Getty Images As It Celebrates 170 Years

On March 21, Lincoln University announced a partnership with Getty Images. Lincoln, which was founded in 1854, was the first HBCU to grant degrees in America. This year, as the university notes in its press release, marks its 170th anniversary and part of the reason for the partnership is to catalog and celebrate the university’s history.

According to Cassandra Illidge, Getty Images vice president of Global Content Partnerships and executive director of the HBCU Photo Archive Program, the collaboration is a continuation of the program Getty launched in 2021. 

“In 2021, Getty Images launched the Photo Archive Grants Program for HBCUs to support the preservation of historical photos from HBCU’s archives and celebrate the traditions and photo coverage of HBCUs today,” Illidge said in the press release. “Lincoln now joins other esteemed HBCUs currently working with Getty Images to protect their intellectual property, increase access to unique imagery, and raise awareness of rarely seen historical events.”

Lincoln University’s President, Dr. Brenda A. Allen, said in the press release that the university is proud to be in partnership with Getty Images.

“At Lincoln University, we are immensely proud to partner with Getty Images, marking a significant milestone in our institution’s history that illuminates our legacy and safeguards our intellectual heritage,” Dr. Allen said. “This collaboration not only allows us to preserve and disseminate our rich history on a global scale but also underscores our commitment to empowering future generations with the transformative power of visual storytelling.”

Lincoln, like the other partner universities in the program, will keep their existing rights to their work and gain access to another potential source of revenue. 

According to the Getty Images website, “HBCUs retain full copyright ownership of their photography. All revenue generated from the Collection will impact the program – effectively providing each HBCU with a new revenue stream and support scholarships for students attending HBCUs.”

As NPR reported in 2023, HBCUs have been underfunded by $13 billion over the last 30 years, and in a letter sent to the governors of 16 states, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack said that HBCUs “would be much stronger and better positioned to serve its students, your state, and the nation if made whole with respect to this funding gap.”

Photo archives could prove to be a source of revenue for Lincoln and other HBCUs.

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