The archive is housed at the Otto Nagel-Haus in Berlin and offers photographs, cartoons and drawings in the fields of history, culture and fine arts.

The collection also contains the personal estates, archives and portfolios of many famous photographers who documented life in Germany.

Through targeted acquisitions, donations and estate gifts, bpk's collection has grown to over 12 million photographs today and is one of the largest in Europe.

Photographs of works of fine arts and culture from famous museums around the world are the second main focus.

Current events in the later years of West Germany is extensively well represented, as well as photographs of everyday life in the communist-ruled German Democratic Republic.