Brown Brothers records

19th century financial records of what would become the oldest private bank in the United States, focusing on currency exchange and international trade. Includes ledgers, invoices, account books, and other documentation for its primary New York business and its affiliated offices in Philadelphia, London, New Orleans, and Havana, Cuba. 

Committee of Fifteen records

Turn-of-the-century citizen’s group investigating vice in New York City, chiefly prostitution and gambling.

Early American Manuscripts Project

Key documents from America’s Founding Era, including the papers of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, as well as business papers, personal diaries, and organizational records.

In addition to digitized images, this project features a series of contextualizing blog posts authored by former Library fellow Mark Boonschoft, making it especially well-suited to classroom application. Digitization was made possible by a lead gift from The Polonsky Foundation.

Diana Davies photographs

Images of New York gay and lesbian organizations like the Gay Liberation Front and Lavender Menace, as well as demonstrations, marches, and meetings, taken by Davies in the 1960s and 1970s.

Other collections with digitized photographs depicting LGBT history include the International Gay Information Center collection of photographs and the Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen gay history papers and photographs.

Century Company records

19th and early 20th century New York publishing house, whose primary title was the Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, but also published the St. Nicholas Magazine for children and other titles.  Documents the company’s editorial process through rich correspondence with contributors and authors, interoffice memoranda, and submitted manuscripts.

Augusta Melville papers

The personal papers of Herman Melville’s sister, containing correspondence with the extended Melville family and friends, as well as draft excerpts of the Melville texts “Bartleby the Scrivener” and Typee.

This collection is complemented by digitized material within the Gansevoort-Lansing collection and the Duyckinck family papers.

Menu Collection

Over 17,000 historical menus dating from 1851 to 2008.  While focusing on New York City, menus represent restaurants from around the world, as well as airlines, ships, railroad cars, and commemorative celebrations.  Menus can be browsed and searched by date, restaurant, and dish.