Almost 40,000 images are cataloged in the electronic collection management system of the Craft Museum of Finland's photo archive. The photo collection consists of original photos and prints made with different techniques. The oldest image material are glass negatives from the beginning of the 20th century, and the newest image material are image files in digital form, which have become common since the beginning in the 21st century.

The Imperial Senate ordered on 14th December 1888, that an allowance be granted for the operation of a handicraft museum beginning in 1890.The resulting museum operated under the Society of Industrial Art and was located at the Museum of Art and Design (operating today as the Design Museum).