The Autry’s Collections Online

The Autry Museum of the American West is one of the principal research institutions for the American West. Its Online Collections are quite expansive but are not as neatly organized as one might hope. There are tens of thousands of digitized photographs, as well as images of art, artifacts, books, manuscript collection materials, maps, and more.

Berkeley Library Digital Collections

The Berkeley Library Digital Collections make available much of the University of California - Berkeley Library’s unique materials, including many Selections from the prestigious Bancroft Library. Many of these collections consists of artwork, music, and 19th century photographs. A vast selection of manuscripts related to 18th and 19th century California include the Abraham Lincoln Papers, the Archivos de las Misiones 1769-1856, the Charles James Papers, and the Collection of Junípero Serra Letters, among others.

California Historical Society Digital Library

Several collections of the California Historical Society have been digitized and made available through its Digital Library. Among the earliest items are the Mortality Register for Sacramento City, the California Lettersheet Collection, the California Menu Collection, the Petition for Legal Recognition of Black Californians, and the Photograph Album of Chinese Men and Women in Sierra County.

Calisphere

Calisphere is an online database that connects the digitized collections of all ten campuses of the University of California, as well as other participating archives and institutions. The available collections are Calisphere are quite expansive and cover all areas of global history. Some of the early American collections include the Mission Santa Clara Manuscript Collection, the Baja California Government Documents Collection, the Michael J. Marlatt Collection of Documents from Colonial America, and the California Sheet Music Project. There are also numerous collections of early photographs taken in California, including a collection of the Muybridge Valley of Yosemite, Sierra Nevada Mountains, and Mariposa Grove of Mammoth Trees, the Watkins San Francisco Photographs, and the R. E. Wood Collection.

Digital Anaheim

Digital Anaheim provides digital access to several photograph collections held by the Anaheim Public Library. Many of the collections available focus on early Anaheim and Orange County. Collections that are particularly strong in the 19th century include City Views (1857-1899), Early Schools and Churches, Government Employees (Pre-1900), Neighborhoods and Houses (Pre-1900), Pioneers, Public Services and Facilities (Pre-1900), and Recreation (Pre-1900). Digital Anaheim also curates the Dr. James Hovey Bullard Family Photo Collection, which contains not only photographs the Bullard Family, but also diaries, journals, and medical records.

Huntington Digital Library

Huntington Digital Library provides access to many of the Huntington Library’s early American materials. Groupings of collections on the United States Civil War, Slavery and Abolition, Mormonism and the West, Hispanic History and Culture, American Presidential and Founders Papers, Printed Books, the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, Maps, Photographs, and Manuscripts are available. There are also several specific collections, such as Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, the Stowe Papers, the Elizabeth Robinson Montagu Papers, the Thomas T. Eckert Papers, and the Los Angeles Area Court Records.

San Jose Public Library Digital Collections

The San Jose Public Library has digitized many of the materials held in its California room. Chief among these are the Pueblo of San Jose Collection, which contains materials related to the Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe and its adjacent mission, Santa Clara de Asis. Other early American collections include Historic Books and Journals, the Townsend Family Papers, and the Historic Photograph Collection.

SCU Digital Collections

The SCU Digital Collections make available many of Santa Clara University’s special collections. Much of the digitized material relates to Mission Santa Clara de Asís, including the Mission Library Book Collection, the Mission Santa Clara Music Manuscripts, the Mission Accounts, the Mission Santa Clara Manuscripts, and the Mission Santa Clara Sacramental Records. Other materials include Fr. Viader’s Miscellany Book, the Reid Family Papers, and a vast collection of early books called Paper, Wood, and Copper.

Stanford Libraries Digital Collections

Stanford University has digitized many of its libraries’ holdings and made them available through its Digital Collections. Much of the early American material available is of a visual rather than textual nature. These include several photograph collections, lithographs, maps, engravings, and other similar materials.

UCLA Library Digital Collections

The UCLA Library has digitized many of its earliest materials. Some of the early American standouts include the Tulancingo (Hildalgo, Mexico) Manuscript Collection and the Bound Manuscripts Collection.

UC San Diego Library Digital Collections

The UC San Diego Library Digital Collections have a variety of early American sources available. Among these are the Pablo Macedo Collection of Mexican Notarial, Mining and Colonial Documents, the Ex-Mission of Santa Catarina Legal File, the Baja California Government Documents Collection, the Mexican Broadsides Collection, the New Rosario Silver Mining Company Records, and many more.

USC Digital Library

The University of Southern California’s Digital Library provides access to several collections either held by or under the care of the university’s libraries. Some of the early American materials include the Finch Family Papers, the Payne B. Johnson Latin American Photographs, the Los Angeles City Archives, the Los Angeles Star Collection, and the Rare Books and Manuscripts Collection.