Online Exhibitions

In Pursuit of a Vision: Two Centuries of Collecting at the American Antiquarian Society
In the early days of the American Antiquarian Society, founder Isaiah Thomas asked members to send materials for preservation in the Society's library at Worcester, Massachusetts. He explained, "We cannot obtain a knowledge of those who are to come after us, nor are we certain what will be the events of future times; as it is in our power, so it should be our duty to bestow on posterity that which they cannot give to us, but which they may enlarge and improve and transmit to those who shall succeed them." Over the course of two hundred years, generations of the Society's members, friends, and staff have ably answered Thomas's call. This exhibition celebrates the generosity and farsightedness of some of the many collectors, book dealers, and librarians who have, each in his or her own way, contributed to the greatness of AAS.
(September 2012)

The American Antiquarian Society, 1812-2012: A View at the Bicentennial
In the Spring of 2012, AAS published The American Antiquarian Society, 1812-2012: A Bicentennial History by Philip F. Gura. To supplement this publication, the Society digitized and made available in high-resolution the images and descriptions from the text. This online resource is offered for those interested in engaging with these pieces or for those who seek a general history of the Society spanning its two-century existence.
(April 2012)

Beauties of America
This online resource both catalogs and contextualizes the twenty-two pieces of the Ridgway dinner service “Beauties of America” – a subset of the Society' collection of Staffordshire potter using maps, photographs, source prints and rich descriptions of the objects.
(January 2012)

Men in the Young Republic
This online exhibition explores images of men in the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century. The selection of prints from the Society's collections represents male roles and activities and reflects social expectations.
(May; October 2011)

Shakespeare in the Parlor
This online exhibit, generated using images from the Prints in the Parlor cataloging and digitization project, considers the ways William Shakespeare's (1564-1616) characters were pictured inside the covers of literary annuals and gift books in the nineteenth-century.
(September 2011)

A Place of Reading: Three Centuries of Reading in America
This exhibitions uses images and objects from the AAS collections to illuminate the spaces where reading happened in early America.
(July 2010)

Beauty, Virtue and Vice: Images of Women in Nineteenth-Century American Prints
Most of the prints in this exhibit were designed simply to please the eye, but they are also useful to historians who would like to understand how 19th century Americans thought about the world in which they lived. Explored are artistic depictions of the standard of beauty, ideal beauty, women as objects, variations on the standard, true womanhood, women at home, American slavery, women in public life, women as performers, use of women as advertising strategies and more.
(May 2009)

Big Business: Food Production, Processing & Distribution in the North, 1850-1900
This online exhibition features lithographs, chromolithographs, trade catalogues, trade cards, and product labels from the American Antiquarian Society's collection that help shed light on major changes in the way Americans in the North produced and sold their food in the second half of the nineteenth century.
(January 2009)

An Invitation to Dance: A History of Social Dance in America showcases the unique print culture items on the subject of dance within the Society's holdings. From its fashion and origins, to its etiquette and opposition, this online exhibit features a
sampling of artifacts from the 18th and 19th centuries. Click on the image to the left from Stephen Salisbury's "Bal Masque" ticket to attend.
(January 2007)

Architectural Resources at the American Antiquarian Society highlights the excellent design books, architectural drawings, lithographs, engravings, periodicals, and photographs of architecture found in the Society's collections.
(July 2006)

Summer Vacationing in New England
This exhibition brings together a selection of images from the Society's collections that illustrate the most popular and most beautiful New England destinations for summertime visitors.
(2004)

The David Claypoole Johnston Collection
This exhibition highlights the Society's outstanding collection of lithographs, watercolors, and drawings of artist David Claypoole Johnston.
(May 2003)

Portraits! Worcester Portraits in the American Antiquarian Society Collection
This exhibition features the images of thirty-one Worcester residents depicted in the Society's portrait paintings, miniatures, and sculpture collections.
(2004)

A Woman's Work is Never Done
A look at women's work, from before the American Revolution through the Industrial Revolution, using selected images from the Society's collection.
(December 2001)

Making Valentines: A Tradition in America is designed to show the evolution of the Valentine's Day card. This exhibition is drawn, in part, from an original display created by AAS staff member Audrey Zook in 1985. It includes a select group of Valentine's Day cards belonging to the Society.
(February 2001)

Visions of Christmas exhibits an array of Christmas images from the Society's collections. Among the featured artists are F.O.C. Darley, Thomas Nast, Louis Prang, and the McLoughlin Brothers.