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.

McKean William (fl. 1864) to Rosa

High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04188.08 Author/Creator: McKean William (fl. 1864) Place Written: Washington D.C. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 29 September 1846 Pagination: 4 p. : address ; 25.2 x 20 cm. Order a Copy

A letter to his wife describing a stop at Payta Harbor, and how much he would like to leave the service and come home to her.

McKean family

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources