Search ARCHIE for information on the Museum’s holdings that are served through the Research Center. Please note that while this resource is extensive, it is not exhaustive. For assistance researching materials that are not yet available in the online catalog, we recommend contacting the Research Center for additional guidance.
Materials described in ARCHIE include:
- Manuscripts cataloged since the mid-1980s
- Books and periodicals
- Photographic materials
Chicago History, the magazine of the Chicago History Museum, publishes articles on various aspects of the history of Chicago: cultural, political, economic, social, architectural, and other topics. Chicago History has been published continuously since 1945, and in its current form since 1970.
Search or browse the Museum’s Collections Online Portal to access images and information on some of the Museum’s most significant and frequently requested collection materials—plus a growing number of sound recordings.
Information that can be found in the portal includes:
- Highlights of the Museum collection (Architecture [models and fragments], Costumes and Textiles, Decorative and Industrial Arts, and Paintings and Sculpture)
- Highlights of the Prints and Photographs collection
- Finding aids for a portion of the Archives and Manuscripts and Prints and Photographs holdings (these finding aids are also available as attachments to the records in the ARCHIE online catalog)
- Oral histories conducted by the Chicago History Museum (including images, transcripts, and audio recordings)
Note that the vast majority of the collection is not yet online, and new resources are added to the portal on an ongoing basis.
Digital Chicago is a collection of twenty-two digital projects about forgotten or at-risk aspects of Chicago’s history and culture. This collection was originally developed at Lake Forest College as part of a four-year initiative to involve students and faculty in research into Chicago’s history through innovative digital projects, urban archeological digs, and complementary coursework in various disciplines.
The electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago, which is built on the printed volume published in 2004, is a comprehensive scholarly collection of entries, essays, maps, images, charts, and special features that covers all aspects of the history of metropolitan Chicago. It features maps, photographs, prints, drawings, and other items from the Chicago History Museum’s collection.