The department and collection began to be developed with the establishment of the graphics department in 1911, which included the creation of the core of the collection documenting the history of photographic and film technology. In 1923, an independent photographic-cinematographic group was formed in which versatile filmmaker and cinematographer Jindřich Brichta (1897 – 1957) began to work in 1924. He had good contacts at home and abroad and the objects acquired by him are among the most valuable in our collections. Brichta gained a rare item from an early era of filmmaking - an original projection roll by Émile Reynaud for projecting Autour d’une Cabine from 1894, which was in 2015 listed in the prestigious International UNESCO Register Memory of the World.

This section’s collection was created by donations made by institutions and companies, and by strategic collection acquisitions. The collection documents the development of photographic processes, the evolution of cameras and technology for presenting photography. The cinematographic part documents the prehistory of film, the development of cinematographic technology with an emphasis on the evolution of the film camera, projectors and amateur film technology.

The collection features numerous rare and unique objects thanks to the long-term efforts to complete the developmental series. Personal contacts and the general atmosphere in the 1920s and 30s and following World War II allowed for the acquisition of objects of world renown, such as the collection of photographic studies of movement from the late 19th century obtained in France.
There are presently over 8,000 inventory numbers in the collection, which represents over 15,000 collection objects. In its extent, the collection is among the biggest in the world.

The first permanent exhibition of the history of photography and film technology entitled Machine: The Basis for New Art was opened in what is now the NTM in 1949 and was to form the core for the future museum of cinematography. Other installations were held in 1963 and 1984 under the protected name of Interkamera. This was later lent to renowned exhibitions of contemporary photographic and film technology in Prague.
The current Photography Studio exhibit is the first part of a newly prepared exhibit. Another exhibit documenting the history of colour photography technology, moment photography and stereoscopic (3D) photography will be organized.

Important features in the collection

Past Processes of Photography	Instruments and Accessories of photography	The Prehistory of Cinematography	Instruments and Accessories of Cinematography