75 Years of Capturing Las Vegas History
02-09-2024
02-09-2024
The LVCVA Archive has nearly 7 million images, 11,000 pieces of film and video, and 1,300-linear-feet of manuscripts and artifacts. The largest collection in the LVCVA Archive is the LVCVA Archive Collection, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022. As we continue the celebration throughout the year, we will reveal new photo collections that showcase the destination’s rich history. We encourage you to download your favorite images and share them on social media, use them as a Zoom background, or save them as your personal Las Vegas history keepsake.
The LVCVA Archive is estimated to be the largest and most comprehensive post World War II collection of Southern Nevada imagery in the world. The collection began in 1947 and is a living collection that is added to daily. The archive is a source for the news media, filmmakers, academics, researchers, museums, marketing professionals, conventioneers, and its images are often seen on popular websites and social media that promote tourism or the history of Las Vegas. Its images have been published throughout the world, and are heavily laden with celebrities and entertainment, as well as sports, recreation, the ever-changing skyline, and local events and businesses in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. Today, the archive is an integral part of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and its worldwide marketing efforts.
In 1947, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce members realized that they needed to promote and market Las Vegas to increase tourism. They created the “Livewire Fund” to accomplish that goal. The funding was provided by hotels and motels throughout Southern Nevada, and each property contributed to it based on its individual size. The chamber utilized this funding to create the LVCVA Archive. The LVCVA Archive was a group of photojournalists whose goal was to promote and market Las Vegas through photography and videography. In their initial years, their goal was to market the destination as “The Entertainment Capital of the World.” In 1992, the LVCVA Archive transferred to the LVCVA. The LVCVA Archive has successfully captured the alluring sights and sounds of the world’s most exciting destination for 75 years and has played a unique role in promoting Las Vegas by documenting unforgettable images on film.
Full-time archivist Kelli Luchs manages the LVCVA Archive Collection and ensures its preservation so it can be enjoyed for generations to come. Kelli joined the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in 2013 after serving as photo archivist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Special Collections. Kelli has a Master’s degree in Public History from University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) UNLV.