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Creator
New York Public Library
Call number
MssArc RG10 5928
Physical description
23 linear feet (74 boxes, 21 volumes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation

Record Group 10, The New York Public Library Archives, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.

Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply
Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online.

NYPL Archives Record Group 10 consists of visual materials that document New York Public Library buildings, programs, staff and predecessor institutions from 1875 to the present. Formats include photoprints, negatives, transparencies, albums, drawings, prints and postcards.

Biographical/historical information

The New York Public Library was formed in 1895 through the consolidation of the Astor Library, the Lenox Library and the Tilden Trust. The Astor Library was a public reference library begun in 1839 and incorporated ten years later under the will of John Jacob Astor (1763-1848). The Lenox Library, founded in 1870, was made up of the collections of rare books and manuscripts, especially Bibles, early printing, Americana, and voyages and travels formed by James Lenox (1800-1880). To this was added a $2 million endowment and 15,000 volumes from the trust of political leader Samuel J. Tilden (1814-1886).

While the New York Public Library is a private corporation its charter stipulates it to be both free and open to all. The Library is organized into four groups: the Board of Trustees, Central Administration, Research Libraries, and Branch Libraries. The directors of both the Research and Branch Libraries report to the Central Administration which is headed by the Director of the Library who reports to the President and the Board of Trustees.

After consolidation, both the Astor and Lenox Libraries continued to operate separately until the opening of the Central Building in 1911. Initially, John Shaw Billings (The Library's first Director) handled many of the functions which would become the responsibility of the director of the Research Libraries. Between 1901 and 1906, 14 already extant free circulating libraries (including the Aguilar Free Library, Cathedral Library, and the New York Free Circulating Library) were united to form the nucleus of the branch libraries. Andrew Carnegie's 1901 gift established the financial foundation of the branch system which serves three of the five New York City Boroughs: the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island.

Scope and arrangement

NYPL Archives Record Group 10 consists of visual materials that document New York Public Library buildings, programs, staff and predecessor institutions from 1875 to the present. Formats include photoprints, negatives, transparencies, albums, drawings, prints and postcards. Major subjects include the Astor Library, the N.Y.P.L. Branch Libraries, celebrations, construction of the landmark Central Building on Fifth Avenue, the Croton Reservoir, exhibits, the free criculating libraries of New York City, individuals associated with the Library, the Lenox Library, the N.Y.P.L. Research Libraries, staff organizations, parades in front of the Central Building, and activities during World War I and World War II. There are also photographs of children's activities in the branch libraries taken by Lewis Hine for the Child Welfare Exhibit of 1911. The photographs were taken in three boroughs of New York City: Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

The New York Public Library Visual Materials are arranged in four series:

  • Series I. Photoprints and Negatives

    The bulk of Record Group 10 comprises photoprints and negatives of NYPL buildings, programs and staff. Highlights of this series include early images of branches of the New York Free Circulating Library and hundreds of pictures of the construction of The New York Public Library's landmark Central Building.

  • Series II. Transparencies

    This series is arranged in two subseries: A. 35mm Film; B. Lantern Slides. Both subseries contain images of NYPL buildings, programs and staff. Images in Subseries A are primarily from the 1950s-1990s; a small number of them are duplicates of images from earlier years that were made from original prints contained in Series I. Subseries B includes several hundred images dating from the late 1800s through the early 1920s. Among these are many original photographs made by Lewis Hine. Original lantern slides are not open to research, and are not described in this Container List. However, digital duplicates of all lantern slides have been made and will soon be available through The New York Public Library Digital Library Collection. In addition, copy photoprints of many of the Hine images are available in Series I, Boxes 75-76.

  • Series III. Other Graphic Formats

    Series includes drawings, cartoons, press clippings and postcards depicting New York Public Library buildings, staff and programs.

  • Series IV. Albums

    Albums in this series contain mounted photoprints of New York Public Library buildings, programs and staff. Many images are captioned. A highlight of the series is Volume 9, which contains photographs of children's activities in various Branch Libraries taken by Lewis Hine for the Child Welfare Exhibit of 1911.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Transfer from New York Public Library divisions and branches.

Processing information

Compiled by Jim Moske; machine-readable finding aid created by Jim Moske.

Related Material

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328

Conditions Governing Use

All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce must be obtained in writing from the New York Public Library

Access restrictions

Access to the collection is restricted to qualified scholars and researchers through the Office of Special Collections, Room 316. Original lantern slides contained in Subseries IIB are closed to research. Digital duplicates of all lantern slides have been made and will soon be available through The New York Public Library Digital Library Collection. Original Child Welfare Exhibit Scrapbook (Series IV, Volume 9) is closed to research. Full-page copy prints of this item are available.