The Archives and Photographs and Prints collections cover a broad range of topics regarding the history of St. Louis, the state of Missouri, and the 19th-century American West.

The Archives contains manuscript material including papers of individuals and families such as letters, diaries, and reminiscences; records of clubs, societies, businesses, and institutions, including minute books, account books, and correspondence; and records of some local government agencies, including court records, tax records, licenses, and voter registrations. The following are among the highlights of the archives:

• William Clark Papers and Meriwether Lewis Collection
• Thomas Jefferson Collection
• Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company Records (1904 St. Louis World's Fair)
  

The Photographs and Prints collection contains more than 800 collections that document the physical growth of St. Louis and surrounding communities, prominent citizens, industries and institutions, important community events, and the everyday life of the region’s diverse inhabitants. The following are some of the highlights of the photographs and prints collection:

• More than 500 daguerreotypes taken by Thomas Easterly from 1847 to 1872 including the earliest known photographs of St. Louis
• 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair (Louisiana Purchase Exposition) from construction to demolition
• Swekosky-Notre Dame College Collection documenting the history of St. Louis’s historic homes and buildings during the 1930s-1950s

To search the Archives and Photographs and Prints collections

• Search descriptions of archives and photograph collections.
• Search selected digital images of photographs and documents.
• The old-style Archives Card Catalog provides the most detailed access to the archives.
• The Portrait Binders index most of the identified portraits in the photographs and prints collection.

Featured Collections

• The papers of architect James W. Fitzgibbon
• The papers of Federal Reserve chairman William McChesney Martin Jr.

Contact
Archives: archives@mohistory.org or (314) 746-4510 (during open hours)
Photographs and Prints: photo@mohistory.org or (314) 746-4511 (during open hours)