They say a picture is worth a thousand words—but in the museum world, it’s worth a thousand stories. Photographs are one of the most important tools museums have for preserving history, giving us a window into the past that objects alone can’t always provide.

International Photography Day (August 19th) marks the invention of the daguerreotype in 1839, the first widely used photographic process. Back then, having your photo taken meant holding perfectly still for minutes at a time while the camera worked its magic. Thankfully, cameras have gotten faster—but their power to preserve moments has never changed.

Here at the Wicoff House Museum, our photo collection stretches back to the 19th century. We have portraits of Plainsboro’s earliest residents, candid shots of everyday farm life, and images from community celebrations. One of our most interesting treasures? Photographs of long-forgotten presidential candidate Wendell Willkie during a campaign visit in Plainsboro.

Every photograph in our collection captures a slice of Plainsboro history—moments big and small that would otherwise fade from memory. This International Photography Day, we invite you to explore these visual time capsules and see our town’s story come to life.