Las Vegas 75th Anniversary

75 Years of Capturing Las Vegas History

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.

Scenic Nevada


In the 1950s and 1960s the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce's publicity arm, The LVCVA Archive, took photos of the surrounding areas of Las Vegas to market the scenic beauty of Nevada. This gallery includes images that were published in newspapers and utilized in marketing brochures around the nation to draw visitors to Fabulous Las Vegas!

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Las Vegas The Strip


The Las Vegas Strip has changed from a desert road connecting Los Angeles and Downtown Las Vegas to the iconic heart of the valley. Enjoy a look back at the amazing evolution of the Las Vegas Strip in this gallery.

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Fremont Street


Tourists and locals alike once cruised down Fremont Street in their cars until the Fremont Street Experience was installed and people began strolling down the street instead. Fremont Street has always brightened the hearts of those who have enjoyed it. Look back at the amazing evolution of Fremont Street in this gallery.

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Aerials


The Las Vegas skyline continues to evolve as visionaries develop new properties in the city. Look back at the Las Vegas Strip’s humble beginnings in our Aerials photo collection.

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75 Iconic Images


These 75 iconic photos are some of the most recognizable in the collection and have been published throughout the world. They examine the early marketing efforts of the LVCVA Archive, and the role that the LVCVA Archive played in promoting Las Vegas as both a business and tourist destination.

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Celebrities


The bright lights of Las Vegas have drawn some of the biggest celebrities over the decades. See how many stars you can name in our Celebrities photo collection.

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Atomic History


Located just north of Las Vegas, the Nevada Test Site was home to atomic bomb testing in the 1950’s. See how the city promoted “Atomic Tourism” in the Atomic History photo collection.

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Meet the Archivist

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.

Kelli Luchs

About the LVCVA Archive

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.  

 

The LVCVA Archive Collection

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.