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.

Fort Monroe [VA], with lighthouse and bell tower in background along a sandy strip and a man sitting on a barrel in immediate foreground.

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 #: GLC05111.01.0790 Author/Creator: Place Written: [s.l.] Type: Photograph Date: 1862-1865 ca. Pagination: 1 photograph 10.2 x 12.1 cm Order a Copy

Inscription on verso: "Light House, Bell Tower." The forts walls loom in the background and two sets of rail road tracks run through the image. Numeric notation on verso: "12."

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