John Clair Miller Image Collection of Twentieth-Century Architecture in Iceland

About this collection

This collection contains digitized architectural photographs created by Prof. John Clair Miller. The material offers a professional architect’s perspective on structures, whether domestic, public, or utilitarian, that have risen on the landscape of this rugged, volcanic, Nordic, and now prosperous island nation. Close to ninety percent of the images are from the Reykjavík area, reflecting the country’s demographic and cultural concentration in the capital region during the last century. Other photographs feature lighthouses, underscore Icelandic affinity for summer houses, and detail the University of Akureyri (established 1987) in the north.

The original 35mm slides of these photographs have been retained by John Clair Miller.

Historical context

John Clair Miller is an architect and professor emeritus of architectural design and theory at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. The materials in this collection were created between 1962-2007.

Using the collection

For questions about this collection, contact the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collection at rareref@cornell.edu.

More information

Collection steward

Patrick Stevens, Curator, Fiske Icelandic Collection

Metadata creation

Cornell University Library

Funding

Art, Architecture and Planning digitization funds, 2017

Credits

This collection overview was last reviewed in 2025.