--- title: New York Public Library Digital Collections: 12 Artifacts description: A whopping 187,000 items were just put online canonical: https://time.com/4170305/nypl-digital-collections/ author: TIME Photo article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-06T22:48:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:00:39.544Z article:section: History og:title: New York Public Library Digital Collections: 12 Artifacts og:description: There are 187,000 more where these came from og:url: https://time.com/4170305/nypl-digital-collections/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt582627d67c653a73/698877eabc6cfcab593db1b8/160106-new-york-public-library-collection-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Farm Security Administration photograph by Ben Shahn og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: New York Public Library Digital Collections: 12 Artifacts twitter:description: There are 187,000 more where these came from twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt582627d67c653a73/698877eabc6cfcab593db1b8/160106-new-york-public-library-collection-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See 12 Amazing Examples of Just-Released Artifacts From the New York Public Library by [TIME Photo](/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Jan 6, 2016 10:48 PM CUT  Rehabilitation clients, Boone County, Arkansas, 1935. 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 by [TIME Photo](/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Jan 6, 2016 10:48 PM CUT The New York Public Library [announced](http://www.nypl.org/blog/2016/01/05/share-public-domain-collections "undefined") 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](http://publicdomain.nypl.org/pd-visualization/ "undefined"). 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.  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  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  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  "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  "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  "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  "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. 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