Welcome to the Winterthur Library, an independent research library with a world-class collection dedicated to the understanding and appreciation of artistic, cultural, social, and intellectual history of the Americas in a global context from the 17th to the 20th centuries. We invite you to visit us on-site or online.
Access the digital holdings of our library through the Wintercat online catalog.
Our holdings include rare books, manuscripts, original works of art on paper, ephemera, photographs, the archives of the Winterthur estate and its history as a museum, and more. Collections encompass everything from 20th-century etiquette books by Black leaders, to 17th-century atlases and style guides by European publishers, 18th-century account books of immigrant craftspeople, to extraordinary 19th-century chromolithographed ephemera by leading printers from around the world.
Learn more about the history and collections of the Winterthur Library.
Library Hours and Protocols
The Winterthur Library is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 10:00 am-12:00 pm and 1:00-4:00 pm., to researchers by appointment only. Sorry, no walk-ins or weekend hours.
To make an appointment, please email reference@winterthur.org at least 24 hours in advance of your requested visit time.
<p><span>Four main collections comprise the library: Printed Books & Periodicals, including rare books and trade catalogues; the Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera; the Winterthur Archives; and the Decorative Arts Photographic Collection (DAPC) and the Photographic Index of American Art and Design (PIAAD), a visual resource of thousands of photographs.</span></p>
Books and Periodicals
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In our Collection of Printed Books and Periodicals, you will find more…
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Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera
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The online book Guide to the Winterthur Library: The Joseph Downs Collection and…
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<p>The Winterthur Library is free and open to the public year-round. Winterthur also invites applications annually for <a href="https://www.winterthur.org/research-and-scholars/research-fellowships/">Research Fellowships</a>. Whether you are a student, scholar, or casually curious, the library can help enrich your understanding and appreciation of America’s past in a global context.</p>
Rights & Reproductions
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Digital reproductions of items from the Winterthur Library for study and/or publication…
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Library News
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These are the most recent issues of Winterthur Library News, our quarterly…
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Winterthur Welcomes Researchers!
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Explore and immerse yourself in holistic and intimate inquiry in a wide…
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<p><span>Explore the collections through </span><a href="http://library.winterthur.org:8001/search/query?theme=winterthur" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WinterCat</a><span>, the library’s online catalog, and through resources including digital collections, finding aids, and the Internet Archive. You’ll find documentation of household goods and their use, decorative arts and design, records by and about craftspeople and merchants, the material culture of everyday life, and much more…even poison books!</span></p>
Explore WinterCat
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Access the digital holdings of our library through the Wintercat online catalog.
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Winterthur Library Digital Collection
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Explore our online collections of selected images of rare books, trade catalogs, manuscripts, ephemera,…
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Winterthur Library on the Internet Archive
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Explore more than 900 trade catalogs and other resources from Winterthur’s page…
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Winterthur Library ADA accessibility upgrades were made possible, in part, from a generous grant provided by the Delaware Division of the Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
