Browse Collections

Browse an alphabetical list of all digitized collections in the Shelby White & Leon Levy Digital Library. Filter by specific names, places, subjects, genres and material types in the left-hand column.

  • 102 items

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Collection
16 Items

Abigail Adams letters, 1787-1815, undated

Abigail Adams, who served as the second First Lady of the United States, was the wife of President John Adams, and the mother of President John Quincy Adams. Correspondence between Abigail Adams and family and friends, including her uncle Cotton Tufts, and her son John Quincy Adams. The letters discuss matters relating to family, illness, personal finances and the running of a household, the U.S. Congress at Philadelphia, and American politics. One letter, signed, dated Boston, July 20, 1787, to Hon. Cotton Tufts, comments upon Shays' Rebellion.
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Collection
192 Items

Abraham Lincoln manuscripts, 1858-1865

Drawn from several manuscript collections at the New-York Historical Society, Abraham Lincoln drafted, signed, endorsed, or received the 192 documents presented in this digital collection during his presidency. They range from correspondence with his Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, to proclamations and other official documents signed by Lincoln, to letters, telegrams, and petitions received by him from government officials, military leaders, and ordinary citizens.
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Collection
43 Items

Album of photographs of window and store displays, New York City, 1940-1959

Photographs by Worsinger Photo (or Worsinger Window Service), Nick Malan Studio and Freedman Photo of window and store displays at Oppenheim Collins, Bonwit Teller, and De Pinna; includes World War II images with the motto "Bomb Tokyo"; primarily advertising clothing, also included are advertisements for cosmetics.
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Collection
18 Items

Alexander Hamilton duel with Aaron Burr, July 11, 1804

Correspondence of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr preceding their duel which resulted in Hamilton's death on July 11, 1804. Also correspondence of their seconds, Nathaniel Pendleton and William Van Ness, and two letters from Elizabeth Hamilton, Alexander's widow, to Nathaniel Pendleton. Alexander Hamilton was the Caribbean-born American statesman, politician, legal scholar, military commander, lawyer, banker, and economist who served as United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1789 to 1795.
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Collection
35 Items

Arnold A. Rand and Albert Ordway, Photographs of the War of the Rebellion, Volume 20, 1861-1865

Album of approximately 100 albumen photographic prints taken from 1861 to 1865: and printed later. Images include Navy ships and sailors during the blockade of southern ports; army camps; Edisto Island, South Carolina; plantations and African Americans; Fort Warren, Massachusetts; and Andersonville Prison, Georgia. Many of the Edisto Island photographs were taken by Henry P. Moore of New Hampshire. This album is vol. 20 from a 31 volume set of photograph albums compiled by Arnold A. Rand and Albert Ordway.

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Collection
133 Items

Arthur W. Grumbine photograph collection, 1938-1960, undated

Collection of 133 silver gelatin photographs of Manhattan, approximately 1938 to 1960, taken by amateur photographer Arthur W. Grumbine. Part of the collection consists of street scenes and views of individual buildings taken in various neighborhoods around the city from the 1930s through the 1960s, and include images of street vendors, construction sites, signs and storefronts, building interiors, aerial and riverfront views, Times Square, Washington Square, South Street, and vignettes depicting life on the streets of Manhattan's Little Italy, Chinatown, and Lower East Side.
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Collection
21 Items

Association for the Benefit of Colored Orphans records, 1836-1972 (bulk 1850-1936)

The Association for the Benefit of Colored Orphans was founded in 1836 and was originally located on Fifth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets in Manhattan. The Colored Orphan Asylum was among the earliest organizations in the country to provide housing, training, and employment specifically for African American orphans. During the Draft Riots of July 14, 1863, the Colored Orphan Asylum was attacked by a mob. At that time, it housed some 600 to 800 homeless children in a large four story building surrounded by grounds and gardens.
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Collection
91 Items

Bill Cunningham "Facades" photograph collection, circa 1968-1976

This collection consists of 91 photographs by famed New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham of his friend, neighbor, and fellow photographer Editta Sherman posing in period costumes in front of New York City buildings matching the same era as her clothing. Cunningham and Sherman scoured antique shops, street fairs, and auctions for period clothing, and conducted painstaking research to identify appropriate matching buildings. The project took eight years to complete and culminated in a 1977 exhibition at New-York Historical and other venues, as well as the 1978 book Facades.
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Collection
31 Items

Black History Collections

The New-York Historical Society holds important collections relating to Black history, slavery in the United States, and the Atlantic slave trade. Dating from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, they constitute a rich archive of primary source materials that will be of value to anyone researching the history of African Americans, slavery, the slave trade, emancipation, and the abolitionist movement.
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Collection
396 Items

Boys' Club of New York photographic negatives, 1920-1980

The collection contains 403 photographic negatives produced circa 1920-1980 (bulk 1920-1950) by commercial photographers on behalf of The Boys' Club of New York ("BCNY"). The majority depict young BCNY members engaged in a variety of activities, either at the club's Tompkins Square Building (later renamed Harriman Clubhouse) or at the William Carey Camp in Jamesport, New York. Many of the photographs were published in annual reports, where they served to promote the organization's work.
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Collection
2450 Items

Browning photograph collection, circa 1920-1938

The Browning Photograph Collection contains photographs produced primarily in the 1920s and 1930s by Irving Browning and his commercial photography firm in and around New York City. The varied subject matter, which includes street life during the Great Depression and the construction of Art Deco skyscrapers, reflects the social and economic realities of the time period while also showcasing Browning's technical and aesthetic brilliance.
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Collection
4418 Items

Burr McIntosh photograph collection, 1898-1910

The Burr McIntosh Photograph Collection consists of 596 glass plate negatives and 3,822 photographic prints dating from 1898 to 1910. Burr McIntosh (1862-1942) distinguished himself in many careers, including those of actor, reporter, publisher, lecturer, cinematographer, and radio pioneer, as well as photographer. While many of these endeavors were short-lived, they gained him prestige and popularity among the stylish set, including prominent figures in the arts, society, and politics, many of whom were his friends and acquaintances.

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Collection
42 Items

Cass Gilbert presentation drawings, circa 1900-1935

This digital collection highlights 41 presentation drawings from the Cass Gilbert Architectural Collection at the New-York Historical Society. A list of Gilbert's best-known structures indicates the national scope and large scale of his commissions: the Minnesota State Capitol; United States Custom House, New York; St. Louis Art Museum; West Street Building, New York; his masterpiece, the Woolworth Building, New York; New York Life Insurance Building; and the United States Supreme Court, Washington, D.C.
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Name
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137199-original-file.jp2 (14.54 MB)
MIME type
image/jp2
Media Use
Service File
Media of
Map showing over-crowding of buildings on lots and consequent lack of light and air space also the prevalence of tuberculosis, typhoid fever, scarlet fever and diphtheria in the tenement house district bounded by 3rd Ave., East River, 110th, 98th Streets
File size
15241313
Collection
2 Items

Charity Organization Society of the City of New York, Tenement House Committee Strong-holds of poverty and Prevalence of disease maps, 1899

These 89 maps, hand-drawn and hand-colored, were created in 1899: under the leadership of Lawrence Veiller in conjunction with the Charity Organization Society of New York for display at the Tenement House Exhibition, held in Manhattan in February 1900. They depict neighborhoods throughout Manhattan, from the Battery to Harlem, in two series: "Strong-holds of poverty" and "Prevalence of disease." Colored dots on the first series indicate the number of families requesting charitable assistance.
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Collection
3 Items

Charles Sumner, The anti-slavery enterprise, 1855

Charles Sumner (1811-1874) was a United States senator from Massachusetts and a campaigner against slavery. This is a draft of a version of the speech delivered in New York on May 9, 1855, and published that year under the title "The anti-slavery enterprise." Internal evidence indicates that it was to be delivered to a Boston audience, probably on May 15, 1855. The digital collection includes the draft along with the published version (Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1855).
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Collection
17 Items

Civil War Collections

The New-York Historical Society's rich collections that document the Civil War include recruiting posters for New York City regiments of volunteers; stereographic views documenting the mustering of soldiers and of popular support for the Union in New York City; photography showing the war's impact, both in the North and South; and drawings and writings by ordinary soldiers on both sides.
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Collection
83 Items

Civil War envelopes, 1861-1865

The New-York Historical Society's Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections owns approximately 3,000 unused envelopes dating from the Civil War years. Of these, 490 were digitized for this project. Most were produced by New York printers between 1861 and 1865:. While some are quite crude, others are beautifully designed and executed, many in color, some gilt. Some envelopes show portraits or caricatures of politicians. A significant New York printer, Charles Magnus, is represented by thirty-six envelopes, many showing Civil War camp scenes derived from photographs.

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Collection
304 Items

Civil War posters, 1861-1865

The 304 Civil War Posters in this collection consist predominantly of recruiting posters, as well as advertisements for public meetings, auctions and social functions pertaining to the Civil War. This collection includes posters from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine. Within the collection are posters for artillery, cavalry and infantry divisions of the United States Army, as well as state National Guard regiments and local regiments such as the Camden Zouaves, West Jersey Rifles and the Mozart Regiment.
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Collection
45 Items

Civil War stereographs, 1861-1865

The collection of Civil War stereographs from the New-York Historical Society's Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections covers the entire period of the Civil War, from the first Battle of Bull Run through the surrender at Appomattox, and the triumphal parade of Union forces in Washington D.C. Most of the images were made in the eastern theatre of the war, with a majority of scenes from Virginia. Compelling images of death on the battlefield and the destruction of cities, railroads and bridges show the devastating effects of the war.
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Collection
66 Items

Collins family letters, 1862-1863

66 autograph letters, signed, between James B. Collins and his brother Joseph T. Collins, their parents John W. and Mary Anne Collins, and a handful of friends and relatives, all dated between February 4, 1862 and July 9, 1863. The bulk of the letters from the front are written by James B. Collins. Also includes a manuscript copy of lyrics to a song entitled "Song of the Louisiana Lowlands." James B. and Joseph T. Collins of New York City enlisted in the U.S. Navy in August of 1862. They were first assigned to the U.S.S. Monticello, and then transferred to the U.S.S. Commodore Barney.
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Collection
904 Items

Drucker & Baltes Co., Billboard photograph collection, circa 1918-1934

The 904 glass plate and film negatives in this collection were taken by Drucker & Baltes for the General Outdoor Advertising Company, a billboard company that was formed in 1925 through the merger of the Fulton Group and Thomas Cusack Company. The photographs record the advertisers who bought billboard space at thirteen sites in Manhattan and two sites in the Bronx.
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Displaying 97 - 102 of 102
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Collection
476 Items

William J. Roege photograph collection, 1910-1937

This collection of 476 photographs by William J. Roege (1893-1970) includes film and glass plate negatives taken between 1910 and 1937, and contact prints made between 1968 and 1970 by Klein Brothers Studio, New York, from oversize glass negatives. The collection consists primarily of views of popular New York City buildings, streets, and businesses produced by Roege while he was employed by commercial photography firms, including American Studio and Boyette.
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Collection
29 Items

William Oland Bourne left-handed penmanship papers, 1862-1868 (bulk 1865-1868)

The William Oland Bourne collection in the New-York Historical Society's Manuscripts Department includes correspondence, papers, broadsides, and unpublished manuscripts related to his work as a social reformer, editor and author in New York City during the 1850s and 60s. Through his publication, The Soldier's Friend, he sought to aid disabled soldiers by offering prizes to those who had lost their right arms in combat during the American Civil War and had learned to write with their left hands.
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Collection
1 Items

Witness to the Early American Experience

This collection contains digital images of historical documents from the New-York Historical Society's Library that preserve the words of hundreds of eyewitnesses to the American Revolution in and around New York City. The digital archive includes the collection of maps by George Washington's cartographers, Robert Erskine and Simeon DeWitt, the William Alexander Papers, and all broadsides published from 1765 to 1783 in the Library's collections.
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Collection
32 Items

Women's History Collections

A diverse range of women's stories can be found throughout the holdings of the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library. Our Women in the Archive guide (available at https://www.nyhistory.org/womens-history/women-in-the-archive) provides some, but not all, of the myriad routes for discovering the history of women in the collection. While these records highlight the breadth of women's history to be found at New-York Historical, they also underscore notable silences.
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Collection
476 Items

William J. Roege photograph collection, 1910-1937

This collection of 476 photographs by William J. Roege (1893-1970) includes film and glass plate negatives taken between 1910 and 1937, and contact prints made between 1968 and 1970 by Klein Brothers Studio, New York, from oversize glass negatives. The collection consists primarily of views of popular New York City buildings, streets, and businesses produced by Roege while he was employed by commercial photography firms, including American Studio and Boyette.
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282849-Service File.jpg
Collection
29 Items

William Oland Bourne left-handed penmanship papers, 1862-1868 (bulk 1865-1868)

The William Oland Bourne collection in the New-York Historical Society's Manuscripts Department includes correspondence, papers, broadsides, and unpublished manuscripts related to his work as a social reformer, editor and author in New York City during the 1850s and 60s. Through his publication, The Soldier's Friend, he sought to aid disabled soldiers by offering prizes to those who had lost their right arms in combat during the American Civil War and had learned to write with their left hands.
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137155-Service File.jpg
Collection
1 Items

Witness to the Early American Experience

This collection contains digital images of historical documents from the New-York Historical Society's Library that preserve the words of hundreds of eyewitnesses to the American Revolution in and around New York City. The digital archive includes the collection of maps by George Washington's cartographers, Robert Erskine and Simeon DeWitt, the William Alexander Papers, and all broadsides published from 1765 to 1783 in the Library's collections.
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136314-Service File.jpg
Collection
32 Items

Women's History Collections

A diverse range of women's stories can be found throughout the holdings of the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library. Our Women in the Archive guide (available at https://www.nyhistory.org/womens-history/women-in-the-archive) provides some, but not all, of the myriad routes for discovering the history of women in the collection. While these records highlight the breadth of women's history to be found at New-York Historical, they also underscore notable silences.
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