Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery

Resources in Special Collections

The Special Collections Department has a variety of resources useful to historians, including major photography collections, regional archives and manuscript collections, as well as being the rare book and alternative press collections repository. Full details on holdings can be found on the Library website at Special Collections.
Collections of particular interest to historians include:

Images

Photography collections can be viewed in the department during business hours or by appointment. An Index to the collections is available, as is a partial database of individual images. Digitized images not listed below are linked through the database.

Digitized image collections online

The digitized collections include photographs of child labor, African-American history, American Civil War, others. Collection descriptions are available on the webpage.

Print & Negative Collections

Baltimore Sun Photos [prints and negatives only, no online]

Primarily local news photographs, some world coverage, bulk 1920s-1970s. Arranged by personal name and subject. Online index forthcoming.

Hughes Collection [glass plate negatives, some prints]

Local commercial photographers, primarily late 19th-early 20th century. Baltimore businesses, store windows, street scenes, buildings, with a separate collection of panoramic views. Partial finding aid available in the department. Scanning is permitted of negatives in suitable condition.

News American Collection [prints & negatives only, no online]

World news service photographs. Primarily early to mid-twentieth century. Arranged by subject, minimal captions, no finding aid.

Underwood & Underwood Collection [prints & negatives only, no online]

World news service photographs, with captions. Primarily early to mid-twentieth century. Arranged by subject, no finding aid.

Regional Archives, Manuscript Collections, Newspapers

Ernest Kempe Collection

Finding Aid to the collection of Ernest Kempe including newspaper clippings of articles, broadsides, postcards, negatives and photos dealing with Baltimore, Maryland, from 1865-1953. Clippings cover various streets, buildings and notable residents of Baltimore.

F.C. Latrobe Collection

Finding Aid to the collection of materials written by Ferdinand C. Latrobe and relating to Mr. Latrobe. Latrobe was Mayor of Baltimore for seven terms, spanning the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

Perry Hall Improvement Association

Finding Aid to the papers of the PHIA. Includes the documents on the founding and organization of the Association, projects undertaken, membership lists, newspaper clippings and zoning regulations from the period.

Philip M. Wagner Collection

Finding Aid to the documents relating to the life and work of Philip M. Wagner (1904-1996). The materials are organized into series which reflect the major areas of life & work: personal, Sun papers & Boordy [vineyards].

---

Newspapers Collection [hard copy]

An index to the newspaper holdings in Special Collections is available. The holdings represent UMBC's contribution to the preservation of original copies of American newspapers. Titles are primarily from the Northeastern and Central states. Dates of publication range from the early 19th century to mid-20th century.

The Department is also the depository for a complete run of the print holdings of the Baltimore Sun (1837-1968)and the Evening Sun (1910-1964) [no index].

top of page

All Online History Resources