Karl F. Lutz (1896-1976) was born in Germany and came to the United States, settling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, around 1927. During the 1930s, Lutz began working as a professional photographer. His photographic subjects were mainly Philadelphia buildings and scenery; many of his images were used for postcards. The Karl F. Lutz photographs and papers, circa 1920-1973, consist primarily of photographs in a variety of media (paper prints, postcards, film negatives, glass plate negatives and others), but also include a small number of pamphlets, booklets, maps, scrapbooks, and other materials. Most of the materials in the collection relate to historic sites, buildings, and landmarks in Philadelphia and other nearby areas.