The Burns Archive holds the largest private collection of early medical and historical photography. Founded in the late 1970s, it contains over one million photographic images that begin at the dawn of both photography and modern medicine. It is recognized as the most important private comprehensive collection of early historic photography and was rated as “One of America’s Top 100 Collections”. The collection was established and continues to be curated by Stanley B. Burns, MD, a New York ophthalmologist; it remains a family run archive with his daughter, Elizabeth Burns, at the helm. The Burns Archive provides great insight into medical practices that date back as early as the 1800s. It has influenced television shows such as Cinemax/HBO’s The Knick, a medical drama set in the early 1900s, with Dr Burns and Liz serving as advisers on the program to corroborate its medical accuracy. They have also advised on the PBS show Mercy Street, a medical drama set during the American Civil War, as well as contributing images and advising on other PBS programs as well as countless documentaries and feature films including Total Recall (1990), Starship Troopers (1997), The Others (2001), Gangs of New York (2002), Men In Black 3 (2012) The Big Sick (2017) and The Irishman (2019).