The Military Museum keeps hundreds of thousands of pictures covering a century of history (1860-1960).
The collection consists of glass photographic plates (both positives and negatives), pictures printed in the past and more recent shots.
The core of the collection illustrates the First World War. Most pictures were taken by the photographic services of the Belgian army, a service cancelled in 1926. The picture collection was, over time, completed with private ensembles.
The extensive photographic documentation concerns key moments in military history, such as the expedition in Mexico in 1864-1867 (the Aubert collection), the two world wars, the war in Korea and the independence of the Congo. Items are sorted by country, by era and by theme (e.g.: Belgium, 14-18, artillery) and can be consulted in the reading room.
The documentation centre also possesses an extensive collection of aerial pictures from the First World war, sorted by location and dated. It concerns almost exclusively Belgian material.
The documentation centre keeps thousands of postcards, especially published between 1900 and 1920, the medium’s golden age. The collection essentially consists of illustrated cards with a touristic, artistic or funny twist. It was compiled over the years through gifts and acquisitions.
Postcards are very useful in the framework of uniform and architecture studies. Lots of postcards were sent during the First World War. They not only have an iconographic value; the messages they carry are an important source of historic information.
The RMM does not keep films. All RMM and Defence historic films were transferred to Cinematek.