The invention of photography around 1850 opened new ways of documentation to illustrate people and every day life at this region over the course of time. Today the pictures of buildings and streets of the principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt as well as pictures of events and personalities form a source for students, scientists and tradesmen. Regarding the work with the inventory, the photo collection represents an irreplaceable source for the museum, too.
Particularly valuable is the stock of 50 daguerreotypes, most of which come from Loesche's photo studio in Rudolstadt. In addition to numerous portraits of family members from the House of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the collection includes a rare veduta of Florence. Prof. Dr. Jochen Voigt, a restorer from Chemnitz, digitised this collection in 2015, which is now publicly accessible in connection with the European Daguerreobase project.