The DC History Center’s collection is focused on local DC as opposed to federal Washington but encompasses the city limits and areas that have a direct relationship to individuals, locations, and events within the District, including historical connections with Maryland and Virginia. We are the caretakers of these materials, donated by families, organizations, businesses, neighborhoods, and other communities that comprise Washington, DC.
Use our LibGuide platform to browse our holdings and for tips on researching!
The DC History Center maintains an extensive artworks collection ranging from oil portraits to lithographs.
Howard University being built, 1869. View catalog record
Like posters, broadsides are large sheets with information or pictures that are intended to be posted, publicly distributed, or sold.
J. George Frain papers – Shows the north leg of the inner loop of the connector roads from the proposed Three Sisters Bridge. One map shows the area within the Beltway; a second map traces the route from P St. to N. Capital. The third (largest) map shows details from New Hampshire Avenue/U Street, NW to Second Street through the Shaw School Urban Renewal area. Explanatory text re: the effects of the proposed highway on the economic well-being of the community. View catalog record
City directories, Property Tax Assessment directories, maps and real estate atlases, as well as several collections of columnists’ articles and images focused on hyper local DC topics
Boyd’s directory of the District of Columbia, 1863. View catalog record
Items of collectible memorabilia, typically written or printed ones, that were originally expected to have only short-term usefulness or popularity. Examples of ephemera include business cards, invitations, transit tickets, flyers, and brochures.
Dee Street Cafeteria Ticket, undated. View catalog record
Nearly 4,000 rare maps, prints, photographs, paintings, books, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, and ephemera representing more than two centuries of the city’s evolution, some predating L’Enfant’s 1791 city plan. The collection comprises of iconic images of DC as well as scenes of daily life in the city.
Construction Work at Union Station Metro by Ken Frye, 1973 ca. View catalog record
Paper-based documents such as correspondence, personal papers, and organizational and business records. Occasionally manuscript collections include photographs, maps, publications, and sometimes objects.
This collection documents the lives of the Sadgwar family, who were significant in the D.C. society scene. Included in the collection are family photographs, correspondence, letters, and ephemera. The collection includes family photographs, letters, documents, ephemera, and travel material and postcards from England and France. Also included are Popular Art Lecture Series By G. Luther Sadgwar; advertising booklet, ca. 1916-1921; autobiographical notes, 1979, and memorial program, 1987 of Luther T. Sadgwar. View catalog record
Historical maps of the city. For real estate and plat maps, see Directories & Ready Reference.
Topographical survey of the District of Columbia, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1882. View catalog record
Various oral history interviews in physical formats like cassette tapes and reel to reel tapes, digital mp3 audio and mp4 video files, and written transcripts.
Browse catalog records
Photographic images in a variety of formats from 35 mm to glass plate negatives, drug store prints to professional darkroom prints, slides, panoramics, and born digital materials covering a wide range of subjects, including street photography, neighborhood-focused collections, and early- to mid-20th century photography.
Bessie Robinson posed with other women at the bar of her after-hours club, Bessie Robinson After-hours Club collection, 1948. View catalog record
Features restaurants, hotels, monuments, churches, historic houses, theaters, schools, local landmarks and interiors. While no longer an active collecting focus, the DC History Center maintains a large collection of vintage postcards, many of which are digitized and can be viewed online.
Night view southeast down Pennsylvania Avenue NW from the Treasury Department by B.S. Reynolds, 1905. View catalog record
Books, pamphlets, government documents, self-published works and other printed items
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, This is your METRO owner’s manual : your Metro … how to use it, 1976. View catalog record
The DC History Center is the archival repository for the [Rainbow History Project], whose mission is to collect, preserve, and promote an active knowledge of the history, arts, and culture relevant to DC’s sexually diverse communities
The Washington Blade, Rainbow History Project Collection, 1972. View catalog record
Artificial collections of newspaper and magazine clippings that have been individually donated, collected by staff, or found in collection; they are arranged by subject. The collection is not exhaustive, only added on a sporadic basis, and no longer an active collecting focus.
Browse our vertical file collection
An artificial collection of high school, college, and university yearbooks. Yearbooks in the public domain have been digitized and are available to view online.
Browse our yearbook collection
Chances are you have a personal and/or family collection. From photographs to diaries, yearbooks to scrapbooks to decades of correspondence, knowing how to take care of these materials can go a long way towards understanding who came before you and what you’re leaving behind for others.
Collections Care – Conservation Assessment for Preservation Program (CAP) Maintained by the American Institute for Conservation and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation work.
DCPL Memory Lab Resources The DC Public Library’s Memory Lab provides equipment for digitizing home movies and scanning photographs and slides. It’s a do-it-yourself (DIY) model, with step-by-step instructions.
Caring for Private and Family Collections Maintained by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), first independent conservation laboratory in the United States to specialize exclusively in the conservation and preservation of paper-based collections.
Collections Care Maintained by the Library of Congress, this includes tips for popular materials found in personal collections, including comic books.
How to Preserve Family Archives (papers and photographs) Maintained by the National Archives, including tips on when to call in a conservator.
Caring for Your Treasures Maintained by the American Institute for Conservation and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation work, this resource includes tips on caring for family heirlooms and works of art .
Saving Your Stuff Maintained by a division of the American Library Association for Preservation Week, these resources include guidance for audio, data, and textiles.
AIC Conservation Wiki Maintained by the American Institute for Conservation, this site is allows for keeping up with technological and practical updates in best practices in collections care.
Caring for Paper Objects Maintained by the Government of Canada, this resources is an in-depth dive into the details of paper conservation that would be useful for an individual or an archive. Includes Recommendation sections.
Conserv-O-Grams Maintained by the National Park Service, these are short, focused leaflets about caring for museum objects, but many are applicable for at-home care. We’ve downloaded several relevant grams for you here.
Caring for Personal Archives This resource guide by the University of Nebraska-Omaha is detailed and comprehensive.
Digital Preservation: Personal Archiving Maintained by the Library of Congress and includes resources such as a Personal Digital Archiving Day Kit.
The Home Film Preservation Guide Maintained by the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA), this resource offers simple guidelines for preserving motion picture film materials outside of specialized archives, with a focus on storage at home.
There are many supply companies out there. The list below are not paid advertisements but do offer legitimate and appropriate preservation supplies.
Integrated Pest Management for Cultural Heritage Maintained by the MuseumPests Working Group, this covers prevention, monitoring, identification, and solutions.
Mold! Maintained by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC), and includes a 90-minute webinar, on how to identify mold, deal safely with a mold outbreak, and how to prevent it from occurring in the first place.
Find a Conservator Maintained by the American Institute for Conservation and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, this includes a guide on how and when to hire, along with a directory of for-hire conservators.
For more resources about caring for your home collection, check out our LibGuide.