The basic fund of this department, established in 1950, represented the objects from the collection of painter and graphic artist Ljuba Ivanovic - manuscripts, printed books, materials for book decoration, prints and icons. The collection was later consistently enlarged with other artefacts: portrait miniatures, drawings, photographs, postcards... At present, with more then 6000 articles dating from the fourteenth to the twentieth century, it is representative of the entire development of the printing media and reproductive art techniques in Serbia.

This department encompasses several important collections:

The Rare Books Collection keeps more then 250 copies of artfully decorated manuscripts and printed books from the fourteenth to the twentieth century. One of its most valuable items is The Belgrade Heraldic Handbook, from the early seventeenth century, while the compilation of Oriental Manuscripts, has a notable place in the collection due to its abundance and artistic importance. Together with its collection of rare books, the Museum also keeps writing materials and tools for book decoration.

The Icon of St. Demetrios from early fifteenth century (possibly from Chilandar) is a notable item in the Icon Collection, a sector that keeps the articles from the fourteenth to the nineteenth century.

The largest part of the compilation represents the Photography Collection with more then two thousand images that illustrate the development of photography, in the local and foreign studios, from its beginning in 1839 to the mid-1950s. The opus of the court photographer Milan Jovanovic is among the most comprehensive ones in the collection, while the compilation of surrealist photos, displaying the works of Marko Ristic, Nikola VucIc and other members of the Surrealist circle, is of a particularly high value. The Photography Department also keeps the collections of albums and photo equipment.

The Department also possesses a significant number of works by the first Serbian photographer and lithographer Anastas Jovanovic, containing also a collection of his original designs and projects for the objects of applied arts.

The Photography Department also keeps a comprehensive collection of postcards, greeting cards, portrait miniatures and graphic prints.