Explore Archival Collections
Access 26,727 descriptions of personal papers, manuscripts, photographs, oral histories, films, works of art and organizational records.
Browse by Archival Repository
- Anacostia Community Museum Archives (224)
- Archives Center, National Museum of American History (2165)
- Archives of American Art (9071)
- Archives of American Gardens (69)
- Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art (281)
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives (167)
- Human Studies Film Archives (462)
- National Air and Space Museum Archives (1478)
- National Anthropological Archives (5844)
- National Museum of African American History and Culture (62)
- National Museum of the American Indian (316)
- National Portrait Gallery (8)
- National Postal Museum Archives (11)
- Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections (90)
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Research and Scholars Center (2)
- Smithsonian Institution Archives (6429)
- Smithsonian Libraries (48)
Accessing and Using SOVA Collections
Using SOVA metadata and materials
Usage conditions may apply for digital images, video, and sound recordings linked within SOVA collections. While digital content may be restricted, SOVA collection descriptions and catalog records are available CC0 for re-use. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Accessing and Requesting Materials
Some finding aids contain digitized versions of all or part of a collection. In some cases, viewing a collection in its entirety requires visiting the repository. Please contact the repository listed in the collection description. Each repository has its own location, hours, and policies for providing access to its collections. Please consult the repository with questions about accessing and using collection materials.
About SOVA records
The resources in the Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives are contributed by museums, libraries, and archives from across the Smithsonian. We are constantly working to facilitate access and to provide improved resource descriptions. It is a work in progress, and we welcome feedback. If you would like to request a correction or have comments, please contact us.
Please note that SOVA collections reflect the context and culture in which they were created, collected, and described. These archival collections may include historical content and descriptions that do not align with contemporary standards and terminology. Some records may include offensive language. In some cases, these records make evident injustice or prejudices, and these records may appear in their original form to facilitate research. The information within these collections does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution, but rather the social attitudes and circumstances of the time when materials were collected or cataloged.
