New York Public Library Digital Collections: 12 Artifacts

January 6, 2016 5:48 PM EST

The New York Public Library announced on Wednesday that over 187,000 of the public-domain photographs and artifacts in its vast collection are now online and available to anyone for high-resolution download. It’s an invaluable tool for historical research—or for just poking around. They date back a millennium and take myriad forms.

To give you a hint of the breadth of that collection, here’s just a small sampling of the kinds of materials within: a letter from Alexander Hamilton, photography of the New Deal era, sheet music from the 1800s, stereoscopic images, maps and even a travel guide to help African Americans navigate tourism during segregation.

Farm Security Administration photograph by Ben Shahn — Rehabilitation clients, Boone County, Arkansas, 1935.Ben Shahn—The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library

Alexander Hamilton letter dated 1792 — Letter to the President and Directors of the Bank of the United States from Alexander Hamilton, 1792.Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library

"Spirituals" by Lillian Richter from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Art, circa 1935-1943.Lillian Richter—Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Art and Artifacts Division, The New York Public Library

Farm Security Administration photograph by Gordon Parks — Anacostia, D.C. Frederick Douglass housing project. Mother watching her children as she prepares the evening meal. By Gordon Parks, 1942, for the Farm Security Administration.Gordon Parks—The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library

Sheet Music from the New York Public Library — "At the old home tonight," 1898. Words and music by J.W. Wheeler.Music Division, The New York Public Library

"Chordaria flagelliformis," Cyanotype impression dated 1843-1853.Anna Atkins—Spencer Collection, The New York Public Library

Stereoscopic view of the Grand Canyon circa 1902-1903 — "Gazing into a yawning chasm 5000 feet deep, Moran's Point," circa 1902-1903. Stereoscopic view of the Grand Canyon.Underwood & Underwood—The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library

George Hall, Boston Red Stockings, 1874, right field, A.G. Spaulding Baseball Collection.The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library

Walker Evans photo from 1937 for the Farm Security Administration — "Negroes in the lineup for food at mealtime in the camp for flood refugees, Forrest City, Arkansas," 1937. Photographed for the Farm Security Administration.Walker Evans—The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library

Bernice Abbot photograph for the Federal Art Project 1935 — "Watuppa, from water front, Brooklyn, Manhattan," 1935. Photographed for the Federal Art Project.Bernice Abbot—The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library

America Borealis 1699. Heinrich Scherer, Cartographer.Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division, The New York Public Library

The Negro Travelers' Green Book: Fall 1956. Published by Victor H. Green & Co.Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, The New York Public Library

See 12 Amazing Examples of Just-Released Artifacts From the New York Public Library

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