The Libraries now offer access to AM Explorer, a cornucopia of of digitized primary source collections drawn from archives worldwide. With AM Explorer you can search, browse, and examine digital facsimiles of content as wide-ranging as the birth of the advertising business (J. Walter Thompson Advertising America) to public zoological gardens (Victorian Popular Culture).
These sources will serve research in a number of academic disciplines with content such as newspapers (American Indian Newspapers) to newsreels and video (Leisure, Travel & Mass Culture: The History of Tourism) to photographs (Jewish Life in America, c1654-1954) to oral histories (America in World War Two: Oral Histories and Personal Accounts) to government documents (Confidential Print: Africa, 1834-1966). Get lost browsing collections or search by keyword across them all. The Libraries are working to add records for individual documents and publications from AM Explorer to OneSearch, as well.
Browse the descriptions of AM Explorer collections, below, or lose yourself in the archives while you find the perfect primary source by connecting to AM Explorer online.
African American Communities
1863-1986
Correspondence; Ephemera; Legal Documents; Maps; Newspapers; Official Records; Oral Histories; Printed Books; Reports
Focusing predominantly on Atlanta, Chicago, Brooklyn, and towns and cities in North Carolina, this collection presents multiple aspects of the African American community through personal diaries and scrapbooks, pamphlets, newspapers and periodicals, correspondence, official records and in-depth oral histories. It reveals the prevalent challenges of racism, discrimination and integration, and a unique African American culture and identity.
Age of Exploration
1420-1920
Audio; Correspondence; Diaries; Film; Government Documents; Logbooks; Maps; Printed Books; Scientific Papers and Surveys
Explore five centuries of journeys across the globe, scientific discoveries, the expansion of European colonialism, conflict over territories and trade routes, and decades-long search and rescue attempts in this multi-archive collection dedicated to the history of exploration. The focus is on European and European- American maritime exploration, from early Portuguese and Spanish Atlantic voyages to polar exploration of the Twentieth Century.
America in World War Two: Oral Histories and Personal Accounts
1940-2017
Correspondence; Diary/Journal; Military Papers; Oral Histories; Postcards; Sheet music and Song Lyrics; Printed Books; Reports
Uncover the stories of American military personnel and civilians during the Second World War through their oral histories, correspondence, diaries, photographs, artifacts, and military records. From the National WWII Museum, New Orleans.
American History, 1493-1945
1493-1945
Artwork; Book; Business and finance documents; Correspondence; Diaries;
Maps; Military and Government Documents; Newspapers and Magazines; Objects
The digital archive of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, which holds one of the outstanding collections on American History. It is full of spectacular individual items, but it also has rich veins of manuscript research material. This makes it ideal for teaching survey courses on American History, but equally valuable as a platform for undergraduate essay work and postgraduate research.
American Indian Histories and Cultures
1500-1998
Art; Correspondence; Diaries; Finance and Business
Documents; Manuscripts; Maps; Newspapers; Photographs; Printed Books; Treaty; Tribe Records
Sources from the Edward E. Ayer Collection at the Newberry Library, Chicago. From early contacts between European settlers and American Indians and the subsequent political, social and cultural effects of those encounters on American Indian life, these materials tell both the historical and the personal stories of the colonization of the Americas. Continuing through to the modern era, and told against the backdrop of the nineteenth-century expansion of the United States, right through to the civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century.
American Indian Newspapers
1829-2016
Newspapers
Discover North American Indigenous journalism spanning two centuries with this major digital resource. Featuring publications from a range of communities, with an extensive list of periodicals produced in the United States and Canada, including Alaska, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Nevada and Oklahoma, from 1828 to 2016.
American West
1830-1939
Broadside; Correspondence; Diaries; Drawings and Illustrations; Ephemera; Financial Records; Maps; Periodicals; Photographs; Rare Books
From the Everett D Graff Collection of Western Americana at the Newberry Library, Chicago, explore the fact and the fiction of westward expansion in America from the early eighteenth to the mid-twentieth century.
Apartheid South Africa, 1948-1980
1948-1980
Correspondence; Dispatches; Reports; Legal papers; Biographies;
British Government documents on the subject of South Africa during the first 32 years of the Apartheid regime.
Central Asia, Persia and Afghanistan, 1834-1922
1834-1922
Correspondence; Diaries; Foreign office reports and dispatches; Maps; Newspaper articles
This resource explores the diplomatic history of Central Asia and provides digital access to official British government records relating to the region, from the decline of the Silk Road, through the diplomatic confrontation between the British and Russian Empires known as the “Great Game”, to the influence of the emergent Soviet Union in the twentieth century.
Children’s Literature and Culture
1820s-1920s
Alphabet and object books; Pamphlets; Pop-up books; Printed books and chapbooks; Sheet music; Sketches, drawings, and paintings; Stereo photographs; Toys and games
Explore the golden age of children’s literature and chart the evolution from chapbooks to the ‘book beautifuls’ of the early twentieth century.
China, America and the Pacific
1648-1997
Accounts; Business Records; Correspondence; Ephemera; Journals; Manuscripts; Maps; Newspapers; Illustrations and Photographs; Printed Books
Covering the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, China, America and the Pacific provides primary source materials for the study of the history of North American trade and cultural exchange with China. This collection also provides coverage of China’s and the United States’ economic dealings with the whole of East Asia and the Pacific.
China: Culture and Society
1682-1926
Speeches; Reports; Catalogues; Guides; Studies; Journals; Correspondence; Magazine Articles; Notes and Minutes
Spanning three centuries (c1750-1929), this digital collection makes available for the first time extremely rare pamphlets from the Charles W. Wason Collection on East Asia, at Cornell University Library; one of the oldest and most distinctive collections of its kind, and a very rich source for research on China.
China: Trade, Politics and Culture, 1793-1980
1793-1980
Correspondence; Illustrations; Maps; Official Papers; Periodicals; Personal Accounts and Manuscripts; Photographs; Printed Books
With documents encompassing events from the earliest English embassy to the birth and early years of the People’s Republic, this resource collects sources from nine archives to give an incredible insight into the changes in China during the period of 1793-1980.
Church, Missionary Society Periodicals
1804-2009
Records; General Secretary’s Papers; Home Papers
Discover two hundred years of worldwide missionary history. This online portal makes available periodicals from the Church Missionary Society Archive, a vital collection for students, researchers and teachers of missiology and world Christianity. It also contains valuable material on wider themes in global history, in particular the history of global education, healthcare and medicine.
Colonial America
1606-1822
Charter; Correspondence; Diaries; Business and Financial Documents; Legal Documents; Legislation; Newspapers; Speeches; Treaties; Warrants
The complete CO 5 files from the National Archives, UK, 1606-1822, Colonial America is a ‘game changing’ development for historians and researchers of early America, the Atlantic world, the Caribbean and the nascent British Empire. Colonial America enables online access to the vast archive of circa 70,000 documents of manuscript materials that tell the story of British involvement in North America.
Colonial Caribbean
1624-1849
Appointments of Governors and Agents; Census data and statistics; Correspondence; Draft bills; Land board papers; Legislative acts; Maps and plans; Medical reports; Military reports; Minutes of meetings; Newspapers; Ordinances; Petitions; Proclamations
The definitive collection of primary source documentation to explore life under British colonial rule. This extensive digital resource covers three centuries of Caribbean history. Drawn from the vast archives of the British Colonial Office, this is simply an essential resource for all students and researchers of the Caribbean and British colonial rule.
Confidential Print: Africa, 1834-1966
1834-1966
Correspondence; Dispatches; Reports; Treaties
Colonial Office, Dominions Office and Foreign Office documents from the British Government.
The Confidential Print series originated out of a need to preserve the most important papers generated by the Foreign and Colonial Offices. These range from single-page letters or telegrams to comprehensive dispatches, investigative reports and texts of treaties. All were circulated around the highest offices of the British state.
Confidential Print: Latin America, 1833-1969
1833-1969
Correspondence; Dispatches; Reports; Treaties
Colonial Office, Dominions Office and Foreign Office documents from the British Government.
The Confidential Print series originated out of a need to preserve the most important papers generated by the Foreign and Colonial Offices. These range from single-page letters or telegrams to comprehensive dispatches, investigative reports and texts of treaties. All were circulated around the highest offices of the British state.
Confidential Print: Middle East, 1839-1969
1839-1969
Correspondence; Dispatches; Reports; Treaties
Colonial Office, Dominions Office and Foreign Office documents from the British Government. The Confidential Print series originated out of a need to preserve the most important papers generated by the Foreign and Colonial Offices. These range from single-page letters or telegrams to comprehensive dispatches, investigative reports and texts of treaties. All were circulated around the highest offices of the British state.
Confidential Print: North America, 1824-1961
1824-1961
Correspondence; Ephemera; Legal Documents; Maps; Newspapers; Official Records; Oral Histories; Printed Books; Reports
Colonial Office, Dominions Office and Foreign Office documents from the British Government. The Confidential Print series originated out of a need to preserve the most important papers generated by the Foreign and Colonial Offices. These range from single-page letters or telegrams to comprehensive dispatches, investigative reports and texts of treaties. All were circulated around the highest offices of the British state.
Defining Gender
1400-1949
Court records; Annotated books; Governance records; Commonplace books; Family papers and correspondence; Wills and inventories; Tax records; Trade records; Administrative records; Diaries
Discover five centuries of advice literature from the mid-fifteenth to early- twentieth century. Research the ideals of social conduct, power distribution within the family, consumption and leisure, education of men and women and gendered perceptions of the body to analyze and challenge the changing views and ideas surrounding traditional gender roles.
Early Modern England
1500-1700
Charter; Consultations; Correspondence; Diaries; Business and Financial Documents; Legal Documents; Printed Books; Trading Journals; Treaties
Explore the lived experiences of Early Modern English society, from ordinary people to prominent families. This collection of primary sources looks at two centuries of everyday, political, religious, working, trading and administrative life in England during this pivotal epoch.
East India Company
1600-1947
Charter; Consultations; Correspondence; Diaries; Business and Financial Documents; Legal Documents; Printed Books; Trading Journals; Treaties
From 16th-century origins as a trading venture to the East Indies, through to its rise as the world’s most powerful company and de facto ruler of India, to its
demise amid allegations of greed and corruption – the East India Company was an extraordinary force in global history for three centuries. This digital resource allows students and researchers to access a vast and remarkable collection of primary source documents from the India Office Records held by the British Library, the single most important archive for the study of the East India Company and the British Empire in South Asia and the Indian Ocean world
Eighteenth Century Drama
1737-1824
Artwork; Correspondence; Diaries; Financial and Legal Documents; Interludes; Plays; Prologues and Epilogues; Interludes and Preludes; Playbills; Songs
Delve into the theatrical world of eighteenth-century society, and explore how the Larpent plays reflect the politics of the time, the role of women, views on race and religion, opinions on empire, and European and British history.
Eighteenth Century Journals
1680-1835
Journals; Newspapers; Magazines
Unique and extremely rare eighteenth century periodicals, each chosen to convey the eclecticism and evolution of the publishing world between 1685 and 1835.
Highlights include a complete run of The Lady’s Magazine, and rare titles missed out of other collections focused on the Eighteenth Century/
Empire Online
1750s-1970s
Correspondence; Diaries; Illustrations; Manuscripts; Maps; Missionary Papers; Printed Books; Reports
Spanning five centuries, and charting the rise and fall of empires around the world, Empire Online is a digital archive enabling research of colonial history, politics, culture and society. There is a focus on the British Empire, but documents also give information on other European empires and the experience of colonised people.
Ethnomusicology: Global Field Recordings
1905-2019
Correspondence; Educational Recordings; Field Notebooks; Field Recordings; Interviews; Photographs; Studio Recordings; Videos
Produced in collaboration with the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive, the material in this collection includes thousands of audio field recordings and interviews, educational recordings, film footage, field notebooks, slides, correspondence and ephemera from over 60 fields of study.
Everyday Life and Women in America, c1800-1920
1800-1920
Broadside: Pamphlet; Periodical; Rare Books; Town Topics
American social, cultural, and popular history during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It comprises thousands of fully searchable images (alongside transcriptions) of monographs, pamphlets, periodicals and broadsides addressing political, social and gender issues, religion, race, education, employment, marriage, sexuality, home and family life, health, and pastimes.
First World War Portal
1910-1920
Audio; Correspondence; Diaries; Diagrams; Film; Maps; Newspapers; Official Papers; Personal Collection; Printed Books; Trench Literature
Revealing the voices and experiences of the men and women who served in the First World War, this rich and varied collection will be an invaluable source for anyone studying and researching the ‘Great War’. Material includes letters and diaries of service people, maps, photo albums, artwork, oral histories, official documents, newspapers, posters and much more, covering all aspects of the global conflict.
Food and Drink in History
1500s-2000s
Advertisements; Audio; Cookbooks; Diary; Ephemera; Films; Manuscript Cookbooks; Reports; Menus; Photographs; Posters; Scrapbooks
The materials in this collection illustrate the deep links between food and identity, politics and power, gender, race and socio-economic status, as well as charting key issues around agriculture, nutrition and food production.
Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980
1919-1980
Government documents; dispatches; correspondence; Newspaper cuttings; Maps; Reports
British Government Foreign Office files relating to modern China.
Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, 1947-1980
1947-1980
Reports; Dispatches; Correspondence; Newspaper Cuttings; Maps; Photographs; Analyses; Statistics
British Government Foreign Office files relating to modern South Asia.
Foreign Office Files for Japan, 1919-1952
1919-1952
Correspondence; Reports; Dispatches; Profiles; Political Summaries; Analyses; Maps
British Government Foreign Office files relating to Japan. An important resource due to the UK maintaining diplomatic ties to Japan for more of this period than many other nations, and the destruction of many Japanese Government records in 1945.
Foreign Office Files for Southeast Asia, 1963-1980
1963-1980
Correspondence; Reports; Maps; Newspaper clippings; Memoranda; Telegrams; Press releases
Explore the history of Southeast Asia from 1963-1980 through official government documents from The National Archives, UK. Discover the struggle for independence against a backdrop of conflict and a shifting political landscape.
Foreign Office Files for the Middle East, 1971-1981
1971-1981
Correspondence; Reports; Dispatches; Profiles; Political Summaries; Analyses; Maps; Printed media
British Government Foreign Office files relating to the Middle East.
Frontier Life
1650-1920
Art; Books; Broadsides; Business and Financial Documents; Correspondence; Diaries; Legal documents; Maps; Photographs
Through a large array of unique documents, this multi-archive collection captures the lives, experiences and colonial encounters of people living at the edges of the Anglophone world from 1650-1920. It ranges across the various colonial frontiers of North America before touching on the settlers of Southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Gender: Identity and Social Change
1575-2014
Correspondence; Diaries; Ephemera; Financial Documents; Legal Documents; Newspapers; Periodicals; Printed books; Speeches
Records from men’s and women’s organisations, advice literature and etiquette books that reveal developing gender roles and relations. Gain an insight into changing societal expectations about gender roles through personal diaries and correspondence and explore the life and careers of key figures and pioneers in gender history.
Global Commodities
1600s-2010
Advertisements; Catalogues; Business documents; Correspondence; Diaries; Ephemera; Manuscripts; Mercantile Papers; Prices Current; Private Papers
Discover the histories of fifteen key commodities that changed the world through a wide range of manuscript sources, rare books, maps, advertising memorabilia, paintings, photographs and ephemera. Explore themes of exploration and discovery; imperialism and attempts at monopoly; trade Wars; translocation and economic geography; slavery; mass production; luxury; taste; and the evolution of global branding.
India, Raj and Empire
1710-1944
Diaries: Official Papers; Private Papers; Correspondence; Drawings and Illustrations; Histories; Literary Works
The National Library of Scotland has wonderful collections documenting this history from the foundation of the East India Company in 1615 to the granting of independence for India and Pakistan in 1947. They are made available online through this collection.
Interwar Culture
1919-1929
Periodicals
Interwar Culture showcases a vast collection of popular and lesser-known periodicals published during these dynamic yet turbulent decades with articles covering arts and culture, fashion, home and family life, travel, world current affairs, class, social and welfare issues as well as a wealth of writing from some of the most prominent literary figures of the era.
J. Walter Thompson: Advertising America
1900-2000
Advertisements; Business and Financial Documents; Briefs and scripts; Correspondence; Packaging; Presentations and speeches; Research and Data
The online version of the J. Walter Thompson Company archive – the single most complete and informative corporate record of the history of modern advertising. It includes the account files of some of the world’s biggest brands, such as Kraft, Kodak, Oscar Mayer and Pan Am.
Jewish Life in America, c1654-1954
1654-1954
Correspondence; Scrapbooks; Autobiographies; Notebooks; Rare books; Pamphlets
Material is sourced from the American Jewish Historical Society, New York. It contains primary sources on the history of Jewish immigration to the United States, life and culture among the Jewish population there, and records of business and trade from Jewish-owned companies.
Leisure, Travel and Mass Culture
1850-1980s
Company Records; Correspondence; Ephemera; Film; Guidebooks; Maps; Photographs; Postcards; Posters; Travel Journals
Primary sources on the history of tourism. Bringing together collections from multiple archives, including Thomas Cook, this resource presents an untapped multi-national perspective on the evolution of affordable tourism around the world.
Life at Sea, 1600-1900
1600-1900
Artwork and objects; Correspondence; Court records; Diaries and journals; Medical journals; Memoirs; Ships’ logs; Ships’ musters; Petitions
This exciting resource brings together unique primary sources drawn from world-class maritime archives and heritage collections. Reflecting current trends in Maritime history, this resource takes a sociocultural approach, focusing on the individual experiences and personal narratives of seafarers and their lives lived on the high seas.
Literary Manuscripts Berg
Date range:1800s
Manuscripts; Correspondence; Unpublished Poems; Notebooks; Drawings; Annotated Editions
The Berg Collection is recognized as one of the finest literary research collections in the world, and the Victorian holdings are the undisputed jewel in its crown. This collection makes them available online, and includes unpublished poems, working notebooks, holograph manuscripts and drawings that trace the inspiration and genesis behind the period’s greatest works.
Literary Manuscripts Leeds
1600s-1700s
Manuscripts; Correspondence; Commonplace Books; Scrapbooks; Personal Papers
Materials include 17th and 18th century poetry from the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds.
Literary Print Culture
1554-1984
Business and Financial Documents; Correspondence; Court Records; Illustrations; Maps; Oral Histories; Photographs
The digital version of the Stationers’ Company Archives, London. Explore the history of printing, publishing and bookselling dating from 1554 to the 20th century. Includes a complete run of the Stationers’ Register, an essential resource for book history and a record publications prior to 1927.
London Low Life
1700s-1900
Ephemera; Cartoons and Illustrations; Chapbooks; Street Cries; Guides; Maps; Rare Books; Periodicals
From salacious ‘swell’s guides’ to scandalous broadsides and subversive posters, the material sold and exchanged on London’s bustling thoroughfares offers an unparalleled insight into the dark underworld of the Victorian city.
Macmillan Cabinet Papers, 1957-1963
1957-1963
Records; Correspondence; Key Policy Documents; Financial Documents
The cabinet papers of Harold Macmillan’s government.
Market Research and American Business, 1935-1965
1935-1965
Letter; Memorandum; Pilot Study; Proposal; Report; Supporting Material
The complete market research reports of Ernest Dichter, the era’s foremost consumer analyst and market research pioneer. Dichter worked with some of America’s best known brands, as well as government organizations, to conduct market research and create world-famous advertising and marketing campaigns. Also includes a full-color gallery of famous advertisements from the twentieth century.
Mass Observation Online
1937-1972
Diaries; Day Surveys; Directive Respondents; Directive Questionnaires; Topic Collections; Publications; File Reports; Worktown Collection
The Archive of Mass-Observation, a pioneering social research organisation, has been described as a “treasure trove”, “an invaluable resource for sociologists and cultural historians” and “a fascinating source of precious data for researchers across the widest range of disciplines”. Mass Observation Online makes the Mass Observation Archive available to researchers in its entirety, included diaries, surveys and questionnaires that reveal everyday life in Britain between the 1930s and 1960s.
Mass Observation Project 1981-2009
1981-2009
Printed directives; Prose responses to directives typed and in manuscript; Newspaper cuttings; Photographs; Leaflets and other ephemera
Explore the history of Britain through three turbulent decades, written by those living through it. The unique nature and matchless depth of this material makes Mass Observation Project an invaluable resource for anyone teaching or researching British history of the last forty years.
Medical Services and Warfare
1850-1927
Medical Notes and Records; Correspondence; Diaries; Ephemera; Studies; Periodicals; Plans; Printed Books; Statistics
Focusing on medical advances across conflicts, the resource includes documents from the Crimean War, the second Boer War, the American Civil War, the First World War and inter- and post-war periods. Highlights include the correspondence of Florence Nightingale, the papers of Joseph Letterman, and material on reconstructive surgery and mental health.
Medieval Travel Writing
1200s-1500s
Manuscripts; Maps; Illustrations; Translations
This resource provides direct access to a widely scattered collection of original medieval manuscripts that describe travel – real and imaginary – in the Middle Ages. Material provides an insight into the attitudes and preconceptions of people across Europe in the medieval period, shedding light on issues of race, economics, trade, militarism, politics, literature and science.
Medieval Family Life
1300s-1500s
Manuscripts; Correspondence
Consisting of the Paston Family Papers, a collection that has long been a subject of both literary and historical interest, Medieval Family Life enables access to Britain’s first surviving records of private correspondence, describing everyday life in East Anglia during the Wars of the Roses. The Paston material is accompanied by the letter collections of four other contemporary families.
Meiji Japan
1858-1925
Correspondence; Diaries; Research Files; Drawings; Lecture Notes; Scrapbooks; Manuscripts; Printed media
Edward S Morse (1838-1925) was a great polymath – notable for his work in zoology, natural history, ethnography and art history – but, perhaps most famous for his work in bringing Japan and the West closer together. Devoting much of his life to the task of documenting life in Japan before it was transformed by Western modernization, Meiji Japan offers full access to Morse’s diaries, journals and correspondence on a myriad of subjects at the time.
Migration to New Worlds
1800-1980
Correspondence; Ephemera; Financial and Legal Papers; Manuscripts; Maps; Oral Histories; Printed Books; Reports; Shipping Papers and Plans
A selection of original documents that tell the story of European and Asian migration to North America, Australia and New Zealand during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Official records from governments, shipping lines and agencies are found alongside the letters, oral histories and diaries of the migrants themselves. The resource includes material on life for successive generations, refugees and displaced persons, and those who were transported as criminals.
Nineteenth Century Literary Society
c.1768-1900
Advertisement; Correspondence; Diary; Draft; Financial Record; Illustration; Miscellaneous; Official Record
An unparalleled resource for nineteenth century culture and the literary luminaries who shaped it. Held by the National Library of Scotland since 2006 and added to the UNESCO Register of World Memory in 2011, the Murray collection comprises one of the world’s most important literary archives.
Perdita Manuscripts, 1500-1700
1500-1700
Financial Papers; Diaries; Treatise; Notebooks; Speeches; Manuscripts
This resource is produced in association with the Perdita Project based at the University of Warwick and Nottingham Trent University. Their goal was to identify and describe all manner of writing by early modern women from diaries to works of drama. The resource links digital scans of the original documents with the researchers’ catalogue and notes.
Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975
1950-1975
Advertisement; Catalogue; Correspondence; Ephemera; Newspapers and Magazines; Memorabilia; Photographs; Printed Books
A wide range of material, from government documents to fanzines, video content to posters and scrapbooks, tells the story of a time of music, political unrest, fashion and new technology.
Popular Medicine in America, 1800-1900
1800-1900
Admission Cards; Advertisement; Anatomy Guides; Broadsides; Ephemera; Printed Books; Posters; Street Guides
Explore the medicine chests and bookshelves of the everyday nineteenth-century American through a colorful array of advertisements, popular texts and much more. This resource offers access to an outstanding collection of highly visual primary source material, together with supplementary features designed to aid research and teaching.
Poverty, Philanthropy and Social Conditions in Victorian Britain
1928-1976
Audio; Correspondence; Ephemera; Government and Legal Documents; Interviews; Maps; Memorandum; Photographs; Printed Books; Reports; Surveys and Statistics
Discover what life was like for the poorest communities in Victorian Britain, and explore the social reform and philanthropic efforts of charitable institutions that sought to alleviate poverty. This digital resource documents the interactions between government policy and public philanthropy in Victorian and early twentieth-century society, tracing developments in welfare reform and the social tensions surrounding poverty.
Race Relations in America
1943-1970
Audio; Correspondence; Ephemera; Government and Legal Documents; Interviews; Maps; Memorandum; Photographs; Printed Books; Reports; Surveys and Statistics
The Race Relations Institute was a pioneering social science organisation, and its archive includes speeches, statistics, reports and much more, from 1943- 1970. Discover a wealth of primary source material on the Civil Rights Movement, segregation, discrimination and racial theory in America during three pivotal decades of the twentieth century.
Romanticism: Life, Literature and Landscape
1700s-1800s
Annotations; Correspondence; Diaries; Financial and Legal Records; Manuscripts; Printed Books; Research Notes
A digital version of the single largest collection of working notebooks, verse manuscripts and correspondence of William Wordsworth and his fellow writers anywhere in the world. Highlights include annotated full manuscripts of such notable works as The Prelude and Michael, or Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Dejection: An Ode.
Service Newspapers of World War Two
1939-1948
Newspapers
Contains an extensive range of both rare and well-known wartime publications for soldiers serving in major theatres around the world. Publications are included from many key nations involved in the conflict, such as the US, Canada, New Zealand, India, Germany, and elsewhere in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Sex and Sexuality
1860s-2010s
Correspondence; Court Records; Ephemera; Journals; Newspapers; Printed Books; Questionnaires; Reports; Research Briefs; Statistics
Investigate the breadth and complexity of human sexual understanding through the work of leading American sexologists, sex researchers, organizations and the public consciousness.
Shakespeare in Performance
1670-1970
Production Design; Film Script; Prompt Book; Correspondence; Manuscript; Photographs; Play Bills; Printed Books; Music
Rare and unique prompt books from the world-famous Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC. The prompt books tell the stories of key performances as they were put on in theatres throughout Great Britain, the United States and further afield, between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries.
Shakespeare’s Globe Archive
1970s-2010s
360 Objects; Annual Reports; Architectural Material; Globe Research; Music; Oral Histories; Performance Photographs; Prompt Books; Show Reports; Wardrobe Notes
This collection of documents offers insights into the performance practice in the particular space of the reconstructed Globe Theatre. It details the way in which the theatre was constructed as a place of radical experiment. It documents over 200 performances through prompt books, wardrobe notes, programs, publicity material, annual reports, show reports, photographs and architectural plans.
Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice
1400s-2000s
Court Records; Diaries; Lists of Slaves; Manuscripts; Maps; Newspapers; Registers; Reports; Ships Logs; Statistics
This resource brings together documents and collections from libraries and archives across the Atlantic world covering an extensive time period from 1490. Close attention has been given to the varieties of slavery, the legacy of slavery, the social justice perspective and the continued existence of slavery today.
Socialism on Film
1917-1989
Advertisement Film; Documentary Film; Short Film; Feature Film; Party Political Broadcast
Sourced from the British Film Institute (BFI), this collection of documentary, newsreel and feature films reveals the world as seen by Soviet, Chinese, Vietnamese, East European, and Latin American filmmakers. Ranging from the early 20th century to the 1980s, material encapsulates the themes of war, revolution, news, current affairs, culture and society.
The Grand Tour
1550-1850
Correspondence; Itinerary; Manuscript; Journal; Rare book; Sketchbook; Newsletter; Travel Diary
A digital collection of manuscript, visual and printed works that allows students and researchers to explore and compare a range of sources on the history of travel. Many come from private or neglected collections.
The Gilded Age and Progressive Era
1870s-1920s
Personal and business papers of key industrialists; records of rail, steel and oil corporations; material on labor disputes, politics and progressivism; and rich visual content on fashion, material culture and architecture
Explore America’s transformative age of industrialization, expanding wealth, inequality and social change. This resource sheds light on this transformative period in American history, through the records of some of its most famous luminaries of industry, culture and politics.
The Nixon Years, 1969-1974
1969-1974
Records; Correspondence; Key Policy Documents; Financial Documents
British Government documents on North America during Nixon’s presidency.
Trade Catalogues and the American Home
1850-1950
Catalogue; Correspondence; Ephemera; Leaflet; Manuals; Postcards; Price Lists and Order Forms; Sales Documents; Trade cards
Explore domestic life, leisure and material culture of nineteenth – and twentieth- century America. This resource presents a wealth of highly illustrated primary source documents that highlight commercial tastes and consumer trends, and provide a valuable visual record for a breadth of interdisciplinary study.
Travel Writing, Spectacle and World History
1800s-1900s
Manuscripts; Diaries; Correspondence; Drawings; Guidebooks; Photographs
Rare diaries and correspondence describing the travel experiences, destinations and desires of nineteenth – and twentieth-century American women travelling the world.
Victorians on Film
1895-1913
Actuality films; Amateur Films; Comedy films; Re-enactments and reconstructions; Special effect films; Travelogues
Victorians on Film: Entertainment, Innovation and Everyday Life brings together an essential library of rich film content from the British Film Institute (BFI) in one easily navigable platform. Capturing a unique view of the lives of Victorians at the dawn of cinema, from workers at the factory gates to royalty and other dignitaries,these films showcase the inventiveness and artistry of the medium’s pioneers in its earliest stages.
Victorian Popular Culture
1779-1930
Audio; Catalogues; Correspondence; Diaries; Ephemera; Films; Illustrations; Periodicals; Printed Books; Music; Object Images
Victorian Popular Culture contains a wide range of source material relating to popular entertainment in America, Britain and Europe in the period from 1779 to 1930, and shows how interconnected these worlds were. Taking its cue from the source material, Victorian Popular Culture welcomes readers into the darkened halls, small backrooms and travelling venues that hosted everything from spectacular shows and bawdy burlesque, to magic and spiritualist séances.
Virginia Company Archives
1590-1790
Manuscripts; Printed Material; Transcripts
Material covers the founding and economic development of Virginia as seen through the papers of the Virginia Company of London, 1606-1624. It is also a crucial source for London’s economic history in the Early Modern era and will be of interest to social and religious historians.
Women in the National Archives
1903-1962
Records; Correspondence; Policy Documents; Financial Documents; Police and Prison Records
A finding aid to the collections of The National Archives, UK, at Kew. Also includes a selection of rare documents relating to women’s suffrage in the UK and the British Empire.
World’s Fairs
1850-2000s
Artefacts; Catalogues; Correspondence; Diaries; Ephemera; Reports and Records; Illustrations and Photographs; Maps; Periodicals; Printed Books; Sound Recordings
Primary source material from hundreds of fairs, including London’s Great Exhibition of 1851, American fairs of the 19th and 20th centuries and 21st century EXPOs. A vital resource for students, teachers and researchers of a huge range of subjects including imperialism, race relations, gender studies, science and technology, consumer culture, architecture and design.