American Antiquarian Society

AAS holds a collection of more than 400 American watch papers ranging in dates from the 1790s to 1910. These were inserted into a watch case to protect the delicate mechanisms from dust and debris.

This exhibition supplements The American Antiquarian Society, 1812-2012: A Bicentennial History by Philip F. Gura.

Based upon the unparalleled collection of Children's Literature held at the American Antiquarian Society, this comprehensive directory contains 2,600 entries documenting the activity of individuals and firms involved in the manufacture and distribution of childrens books in the United States chiefly between 1821 and 1876.

Search the directory

The writings of nineteenth-century children reveal inquisitive minds and lively imaginations that serve to enlighten and inspire future generations. This new digital library will provide an important window into how young writers chronicled their daily lives, wrote stories and poetry, expressed their beliefs and values, and commented on cultural changes of the time.

This exhibition explores the AAS collection of dime novels. Full of romance and adventure, dime novels were a variety of melodramatic fiction that was popular in the United States from about 1860 until the early 1900s. Published as cheap paperbacks (most cost only ten cents), they were generally regarded as low-quality fiction.

A look at women's work, from before the American Revolution through the Industrial Revolution, using selected images from the Society's collection.

This exhibition explores the connections between American and French lithography in the early days of this printing technology. Themes include the circulation and reproduction of French imagery in the United States, the stylistic contributions of French lithographic artists who immigrated to America, and the reproduction of American genre paintings by French publishers for distribution in Europe and the United States.

Visions of Christmas exhibits an array of Christmas images from the Society's collections. Among the featured artists are F.O.C. Darley, Thomas Nast, Louis Prang, and the McLoughlin Brothers.

As this exhibition shows, the practice of exchanging valentines on February 14th was a distinctly modern tradition, first popularized in the United States in the 1840s.Following practices previously developed in England, lovers, friends, and family members bought or made fanciful valentines decorated elaborately with paper lace, colorful printed materials, ribbons, hair, and scraps. Manufacturers of valentines, such as Esther Howland and George C. Whitney, played a crucial role in establishing Valentine’s Day as an American holiday.

This exhibition brings together a selection of images from the Society's collections that illustrate the most popular and most beautiful New England destinations for summertime visitors.