Photo materials are one of the important sources for the research of the history and culture of local Old Believer groups in the first third of the 20^th century. Photography, genre pictures, the appearance of people printed on photo and the culture media’s objective world around them – all these things give a lot of valuable materials for the study of regional Old Believers at the appointed time. Analysis of changes in quantity, quality and content of the photographs of that time allows us to estimate the character and pace of the evolution of Old Believer’s culture. Also, photo documentary legacy, which reflected the particular qualities of the Old Believer’s culture of different regions within the framework of comparative approach allow us to reveal and to expose to a comprehensive analysis of the specifics of the local Old Believer communities. 

The article gradually explores the theory and practice of using source study photos, reveals general and miscellaneous in the different historical conditions of development of the Old Believer communities of Bessarabia, Buryatia and Tyva. Attempts a comparative’s correlation sets of photos, which reflected their lives in the study period. Concludes that the photo materials allows us to expand and to clarify other types of data sources significantly, and also enable to reveal particularity of the character and evolution of the traditional culture of the Old Believers of different regions in its vernacular and church measurement.