New-York Historical Society collection accession registers, 1841-1962

The New-York Historical Society collection accession registers include the 39 oversized registers of accessions (or, "additions") to New-York Historical Society's collections from December 1841 to 1962. Recognizable gaps occur in the 1840s and 1850s, with sustained entries beginning in 1861. The earliest entries seem to be donations only; it is unclear when purchases began to be recorded, though these seem to appear regularly by 1879. Registers include accessions of all types of material until 1924. Beginning in 1924, different registers were used for Museum, Manuscript, and Library materials. Beginning in 1942, Map and Print Room materials, formerly found in the Library register, were also entered to a separate register. Entries for Museum accessions ended by 1945. Entries for all other accessions continued until 1962. The entries are often very detailed, listing names of donors and other sources of acquisition, and individual items. Purchased items often indicate the price paid and the source of funds. Monthly or annual totals by type of object are found throughout the registers. From 1957 to 1962 purchases and donations were recorded in separate sections of the same registers, sometimes with many blank pages between the sections.