Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Suluma, Melek Full length seated carte de visite portrait

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00241.26 Author/Creator: Suluma, Melek Place Written: North Adams, Massachusetts Type: Photograph Date: [n.d.] Pagination: 1 photograph 10 x 6 cm Order a Copy

Imprint of H.D. Ward, North Adams, Mass., on verso. Pencil inscription on verso reads: "Suluma Melek, Circassian Lady, Born in Solder Cale, Asia Minor, Age 20 years." Melek's dress is tinted bright purple, her underskirt is tinted deep pink, and the tassels of the chair upon which she is seated are yellow-green.

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