A-Z Digital Collections
CPL's Digital Collections document life in Chicago through archival images, documents and artifacts.
A
Amundsen High School Collection
Arnold, Charles Dudley Photographic Collection
Arnold documented the World’s Columbian Exposition from its construction, beginning in 1891, to its closing and aftermath in the winter of 1893-1894.
B
Barlow, Esther A. Collection
Esther Barlow was a children’s librarian in neighborhood branches of Chicago Public Library from 1927 until 1976.
Black, Timuel D. Jr. Digital Collection
Tim Black's knowledge of history, Black life and politics in Chicago is represented in this collection of his speeches, 1960s-1990s.
C
Chicago Cultural Center Opening Day Digital Collection
View photographs of the Chicago Cultural Center taken in 1897 by local photographers Reginald Capes and George R. Lawrence, just as construction was completed.
Chicago Department of Urban Renewal Records: Photographic Negatives Digital Collection
View nearly 16,000 photographic negatives that illustrate urban renewal in Chicago in its positive, negative and mundane lights.
Chicago Examiner
The Chicago Examiner was one of a dozen major newspapers published in Chicago at the turn of the last century. It was known for its sensational news stories.
Chicago Park District Records: Photographs
Parks have always been a part of Chicago’s city planning. Explore their growth, development and use from six large parks begun around 1870 to more than 500 today.
Chicago Public Library Archives
On January 1, 1873 the Chicago Public Library opened its doors in a water tank that had survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. These photographs trace our history from that small structure to the development of neighborhood libraries across the city.
Chicago Renaissance
The Black Chicago Renaissance was a creative movement when activism and scholarship flourished with the prodigious work of African American community leaders, performers, artists, writers and activists.
Chicago Sewers Collection
The sewer systems and passageways that lie beneath our feet are critical to the health and well being of the city. Offering a rare look at the “underbelly” of Chicago, this collection of historical images features construction photographs of sewers and tunnels.
Chicago Theater
Theater collections at Chicago Public Library document a vibrant local theater community.
Chicago Theater Collection-Historic Playbills
See Chicago Theater.
Christian Fellowship Church Collection
Civil War: Wayne Whalen Digital Archive of the Grand Army of the Republic and Civil War Collections
Camp equipment, weaponry and uniforms used on the homefront and the battlefield, with a focus on the Illinois experience.
G
George Cleveland Hall Branch Archives
The George Cleveland Hall Branch Archives contain materials related to the operation of Chicago Public Library’s Hall Branch, opened in 1932. The branch is named after prominent African American physician, activist and leader George Cleveland Hall. The Hall Branch Archives contain annual reports, branch bulletins, programs, fliers and memos from 1932 through the 1970s.
Gould, E.B. Programs Collection
See Chicago Theater.
Green, Henry D. Photograph Collection
Chicago Public Library’s Northside Neighborhood History Collection houses the photographs of Henry Green, a commercial photographer on Chicago’s North Side. Additional materials by Henry Delorval Green are held at the Chicago History Museum.
H
Harold Washington: Selected Speeches Digital Collection
The gifted orator spoke at many public and private events, especially during his mayoral administration, 1983-1987.
Harold Washington Library Center Design/Build Competition Digital Collection
This digital collection includes 51 photographs of the models created by the five finalist teams in the 1987 competition.
I
Illinois Writers Project: "Negro in Illinois" Digital Collection
This collection includes over a thousand items from the Illinois Writers Project. Many of the Chicago Black Renaissance writers worked on this book project, and the digital collection contains their early draft chapters and research. These writings explore the African American experience in Illinois, including arrival, slavery, social conditions, religions, education, Black business and life in the suburban areas around Chicago.
K
Kinsella, Helen G. Collection
Krueger, Robert W. Photograph Collection
In 1984, Chicago Public Library began working with local photographer Robert Krueger to document the North Side.
L
Lake View High School Collection
M
Millennium Park U.S. Equities Realty Collection
Watch the Millennium Park site transform from an industrial wasteland to a new urban park of world renown from 1999-2005, under the project management of U.S. Equities Realty and acclaimed architects, engineers and artists.
More From Our Collections
A sampling of images from our archival collections showcasing various moments in Chicago's history.
N
Northside Clubs and Organizations
Glimpse the activities of the thriving civic service scene on the North Side as well as the rich ethnic and religious heritage of the community.
Northside High Schools
Photographs of high school football games, theatrical productions, dances and extracurricular activities from the 1870s to the 1950s.
O
Old Pops Sheet Music Digital Collection
View single song sheet music published from 1809 to 2004.
P
Portage Park Community Collection
R
Ravenswood Manor Improvement Association Collection
Ravenswood-Lake View Community Collection
Lake View Township and its evolution from an independent municipality into current Northside communities, 1860s-1990s.
Remembering Harold Washington
Mayor Harold Washington, the first African American mayor of Chicago, transformed the city during his years in office (1983-1987).
Residents’ Journal Records Digital Collection
Residents’ Journal is a newspaper written by and for residents of Chicago public housing. Led by former Chicago Daily Defender journalist Ethan Michaeli and Mary C. Piemonte (née Johns), it began in 1996 with funding from the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). In 1999, We the People Media, a not-for-profit organization, was formed to manage the publication and the Urban Youth International Journalism Program.
S
Sang, Philip David Collection
The Philip David Sang Collection contains unpublished and published works and ephemera united by its focus on the struggle of Africans and African Americans through the Middle Passage to the civil rights movement.
