Museum Open

The Klingenstein Library holds the fourth largest collection of American newspapers published before 1820; it encompasses the most complete set of colonial New York titles such as Zenger’s controversial New-York Weekly Journal. For the 19th century there are nearly complete runs of commercial dailies, and some obscure publications espousing political, religious, and ethnic viewpoints. Also present are many of the principal newspapers from Northern and Southern localities up through the Civil War. The New York City dailies continue into the 20th century for which period there are also some pictorial supplements. For more information, see the Klingenstein Library’s Newspaper Research Guide.

The Print Collections include engravings, woodcuts, etchings, lithographs and images produced by a variety of other printing processes. Items range in date from a 1546 set of playing cards to views of New York by living artists, but the emphasis is on American historical prints between 1710 and 1860. The collections are particularly strong in views of New York City. There are also a significant number of views of other American and foreign locations, and portraits of prominent figures from New York and elsewhere. Other subjects include historical and commemorative prints, newspaper and periodical illustrations, political caricatures and naval prints. Rather than constituting a fine art print collection, they are a research collection of significance to historians and to students of American printmaking.