The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (NMAH) is responsible for the collection, care, and preservation of more than 3 million objects. The collections reflect the breadth, depth, and complexity of the experiences of the American people, from social and cultural history to the history of science, medicine, and technology.
The Museum collects the ordinary as well as the extraordinary and is interested in how objects are made, how they are used, how they express human needs and values, and how they influence society and the lives of individuals. NMAH's focus is on the history of the United States, including its roots and connections with other cultures.
As sources for research, the Museum offers not only historical objects but significant collections of oral histories, prints, photographs, business Americana, trade literature, and engineering drawings.
Searching Our Online Collections
As you use the online collections database, please keep the following points in mind:
- The searchable collections database is not complete. The objects available for viewing on the Web site are only part of the Museum's total collections. We are working to expand and improve electronic access to the collections.
- The search does not include archival records. The collections search does not provide access to personal papers, diaries, correspondence, business records, financial and legal documents, and commercial ephemera housed in the Museum's Archives Center. The Center's strengths are in advertising history, the history of technology and invention, and the history of American popular music. Search the Archives Center collections.
- Supplemental library information is available. You can find supplemental information by searching the holdings of the National Museum of American History Library, which include books, journals, historical trade catalogs, international exposition and world’s fair materials) and the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology (rare books and manuscripts).
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